Europe 2007

[roitelet]

Hi All,

Delayed again!! I think that I will have to give up trying to use the Net in the evening. The connection keeps going down, talk about frustrating

Last week we had what could be called 'sunny intervals' and showers. Except for Tuesday that is when we had a huge thunderstorm. 27mm of rain 7 of which fell in 30 mins. I was driving at the time and had to stop, just couldn't see In total we had 32mm of rain in the last 7 days.

emperatures are nothing to write home about, high 24C and low 6C. Not atall what we should have this time of year. The weather is supposed to pick up after tomorrow. We shall see but I'm not holding my breath.

Growing wise - I picked peas yesterday. The are dwarf but have only got about knee high so have to crawl down the rows to harvest them! rench Beans are in flower and I shall have to rig up some kind of shade as the leaves are showing signs of sunburn. Strange not much sun.

I made a late sowing of leafy things, salad mixtures and the like, Turnips and Sweeds. Some have greminated and despite all the rain I have to keep watering to keep the ground soft as as son as the sun comes out the surface dries out and cracks.

Harvested a super Cauli during the week and there is 1 more to come. Just have to watch it so it doesnt 'blow'.

I have been experimenting with block planting this year and am very impressed. I have put a straw path down the middle of the 3m wide beds and block planted on each side. I won't do anything perminant as it would interfere with the rotation and I like to grow some of the larger crops in long rows.

[roitelet]

Keeping my fingers crossed that the connection holds!!!!

Maximum this week 24C, minimum 7C, rain 13.5C, weather 'sunny intervals'.

Looking back at last year, 15 - 19 Aug the weather and temperatures were much the same. Amazing just how short ones memory is, last year was always better than this

Today has been too damp to garden so I spent the day dodging Swallow Poo as the 5 chicks have been taking flying lessons round my workshop.
I have been finishing the new portable chicken house and a sectional run. Promise, I will post some pictures when they are quite finished. Need the final coats of wood preserative.

The round seeded peas have produced quite a lot of peas considering that they never made more than knee high. The wrinkle seeded ones seem to have got their act together and look much as they should and are producing flowers. Tomatoes are ripening and still no sign of blight I am still picking Strawberries and there a lot to come. Sorry those who have had a bad crop.

Germination is a bit slow and patchy on the things I sowed around the 13th August.

Has anyone else got things flowering out of season? My Magnolias and a Hellibore Orentalis are in flower

Well the connection is still holding, so here goes, I'm posting it!!!!

[roitelet]

This week Max 26C min 10C and RAIN all 41mm of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last year 20/8 - 27/8 Max 19 Min 11 rain 12.5mm sinshine and showers all week.

The weather this week has been AWFUL until Saturday when it finally dried up and Sunday was really nice and hot. Lets hope that the improvement continues.

I have had to rip out most of the annuals in the flowerbeds as they were flattened by the torrential rain. Oh well early autumn clear up and it keeps CK busy

The knee high peas have been pulled out and the wrinkle skinned ones are still doing well. Peppers are producing well although the plants are small in comparasion to what they should be. Chillies have a few chillies developing on them but the wet weather has caused the flowers to fall off. You guessed it, Blight has struck the tomatoes The plastic hats seem to have done their job fairly well given that I lost the potatoes to blight in June. A better year and they could be a success.

Not a great deal else going on here just waiting for the grass to dry out enough to cut/crop it. Anyone got any good recipies?

[Nicos]

No recipies for grass I'm afraid!!!!
2nd hot sunny day here in suisse normande after one week of rain...rain..rain...oh...and more rain!!!!!
Managed to pick the rest of the plums and made blackberry jam- then started on the autumn cutback of many of the shrubs and flowers.
OH had fun with the metal detector and found bits of tractor and barbed wire!!!
Intend to plant out a sack of daffodil bulbs tomorrow....if the rain stays away!!

[momol]

Here, it has been raining for almost a week (mostly the drizzle type but once in a while it poured down ), and finally it seems to stop but the weather is more alike the autumn than the summer by now, it has been around 20 C or less for the past 2 to 3 weeks with weak sun shine.

Momol

[roitelet]

Hectic time here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

27.8.07 - 9.9.07
Rain for the last 2 weeks 2.5mm - Max Temp. 24C - Min Temp 2C
For the same period last year 9mm - Max Temp. 24C - Min Temp 11C

On the whole not bad weather at all but despite the downpours I reported last time I am going to have to do some rescue watering as things in the garden are flagging.

Not much happening on the growing front - French beans are finally 'beaning'. Peas have pods on them and are the correct height! Winter Greens are fighting a battle with the slugs not to mention Butterflies, Raspberries are slowly ripening and I may get enough for Jam if the sun keeps shining. Strawberries are doing well.

Finally a week ago we took delivery of three new hens, Cayennes, they were kept in a seperate run until last night when I put them in with the original Cock and Hen. All was quiet overnight but this morning when I let them out there was a bit of a free for all for about half an hour and the Cock couldn't believe his luck

Still cutting b******y grass. Does it ever stop growing?

[momol]

It has been pretty cool here for the whole week, the temp is always around 15 to 18 C at the day( sometimes 13 C ), the night temperature drop to around 11 C. For several days we got very fine drizzle for several hours per day, very cold... BRRRR. Our weather broadcast was saying that the fall is here ...

Momol

[roitelet]

A glorious week here if you are not a Gardener. The season of mists and mellow fruit fullness and jam making. The trees are turning colour and as it has not been as hot here as in previous years there should be some good autumn colour.

9 - 16 August

2006 Max Temp. 27C Min Temp. 10C Rain 8mm
2007 Max Temp. 24C Min Temp. 3C Rain Zero!

It is now 23 days with out any rain worth speaking about so there is very little to report on the growing front. Peas have pods on them but are not swelling, French Beans are producing a few beans and the Raspberries are ripening nicely and if the weather stays fine there is the promise of quite a reasonable crop for their first year. I am waiting to get the winter cabbage transplanted but the ground is too dry and hard to lift then let alone re-plant them.

Met the local Farmer while out Blackberrying yesterday and he offered me free manure for next year. Chickens have settled in well and there is no more scrapping and the Cock still has a big smile on his beak

[roitelet]

Bit late again, sorry.

We have had RAIN. Not a lot but welcome all the same.

Weather for 17th - 23rd
2007 High Temp 24C, Low Temp 1C, Rain 8mm
2006 High Temp 25C, Low Temp 9C, Rain 7mm

Raspberries are doing well and I am picking about 1lb every other day, more jam when I get enough. Winter cabbage finally transplanted thanks to the rain.

Now have 3 Chooks laying, one to go. Just about to move them onto the potager, penned of course, so that they can eat all those nasty beasties and do a bit of fertilizing at the same time.

Moles have just released their secret weapon, runs just below the surface that produce ridges in the mown weeds. Mole hills I can deal with but this is a whole new ball game.

[scared55]

The AccuWeather forecast for tomorrow night is a low temperature of -5°C, coupled with rain and snow, winds from the NW at 20kph gusting to 41kph giving a "ReelFeel" of -14°C.

And it's still only September (today has been a high of 16°C light winds and one short but sharp shower this afternoon).

Time to protect our more tender plants?

KK

[roitelet]

24th - 30th September

2007 Max Temp 18C Min Temp 3C Rain 36.5mm

2006 Max Temp 19C Min Temp 10C Rain 8mm

Well after weeks and weeks of DRY DRY weather the rain has arrived and very welcome it is too. Curtails the earthworks a bit but at this time of the year there is more than enough to do clearing up all the overgrown stuff to keep me busy.

I have just bought the Garlic and Shallots for autumn planting and am looking into a couple of Grape vines to plant on the south facing side of the house. There used to be the traditional pear trees there but they had to go as they didn't fruit and probably were put there when the place was built. When the weather is dry enough I shall sow some Mache and Salad leaves which I will cloche a bit later.

Still picking Raspberries and Strawberries.

The Chickens are now on the potager in their moveable run and are making short work of the slugs and other beasties.

[roitelet]

1st - 7th October

2007 Max Temp 20C Min Temp 4C Rain 32.5mm

2006 Max Temp 18C Min Temp 10 Rain 21.5mm

I think the weather is what could be called 'soft'. After heavy rain at the begining of the week we have had very misty mornings with heavy dew and once the mist has burnt off the days have been lovely and sunny, the nights though have been cooler than last year and the Wood burner has been brought into use several times.

All the carrots have been lifted before the slugs eat them all and I am very impressed with the Flyaway, hardly any carrot fly damage. Winter Greens are beginning to grow, more leeks transplanted, compost spread and a lot of the ground cleared. Its dry enough to get the salad leaves in at last and the ground prepared for the garlic and shallots but I think that I will wait a week or two before I plant them.

There are still Strawberries if I get to them before the slugs do and I think that I am going to have to cut off the leaves and remaining fruit to give them a rest. Lots more green fruit on the raspberries, don't know if they will ripen.

I have potted the Chilli plants to see if I can over winter them to give me a head start next year.

And finally - Moles alive and well

[Nicos]

And today in Normandy it rained all day!!!
Good job cos we were decorating!!!

[scared55]

OK here - 14 degrees, cloudy, dry, no problem. Rain promised for tomorrow, though

KK

[palborn]

Thought I might add to this thread for a change! The weather here in central France is glorious today with lovely warm sunshine and barely a cloud in the sky. This was not the case a week or so ago though when it was piddling down with rain and felt very autumnal. Temperatures are about 16 deg Celsius during the day but the nights and early mornings are more like 5/6 degrees. Don't seem to have had a proper frost yet though.