Grow Your Own Magazine

5th November - 18th November


2007 Max Temp. 12C Min Temp. -9.5C Rain 28mm

2006 Max Temp. 14C Min Temp. -7C Rain 32mm

We have had the coldest night yet and I think that -7 was the lowest recorded for last year so does this mean that we are in for a very cold winter?


Well Holland was wet and windy but in between the heavy squally showers my Daughter and I managed to 'sort' her garden and she just has to await the results next year.

Not much going on in the garden, Mache has germinated and so has the Oriental Salad. The previous sowing of OS is standing up to the frost well. Today it is too wet to get on the ground so will prune the Raspberries and may be get the plastic on the cloches. The Parsnip exported to Holland was DELISH!!!!!!!

The Broody hen has gone right off the idea of hatching eggs and is now behaving normally. Egg production has fallen but we are still getting a few.

Delphiniums are still flowering and so is the Fairy Verbascum, crazy year .

Moles still a problem, have a look at the thread 'I don't want to kill them' (Pests and diseases) for updates.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

NW Puy de Dome. 5Kms from Allier to the north, 15KM from Creuse to the west. 75Kms NNW of Clermont Ferrand, 100Kms SSE of the geographic centre of France. Altitude 600m

Week ending 25th November 2007
Temp max +13.4°C
Temp min 0.0°C
Total precipitation 25.4mm

Our weather station is working again, which means that full current local weather and 5 day forecast available here

KK

19th - 25th November

2007 Min Temp. -6C Max Temp. 10C Rain 29mm

2006 Min Temp. +1C Max Temp. 15C Rain 20mm

Very little going on at the moment. The week has been generally overcast but with one glorious day on the 24th which coincided with the full moon and when the temperature fell to -6C at night.

The Chickens are still laying, about 2 eggs a day from 4 birds. Not bad. We found Owl pellets under the Cotegaie (the overhanging bit of the roof on Norman houses).

Moles are still rampant, the traps don't seem to work or I don't have enough of them. Will have to try something else.

General clearing up still in progress.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

NW Puy de Dome. 5Kms from Allier to the north, 15KM from Creuse to the west. 75Kms NNW of Clermont Ferrand, 100Kms SSE of the geographic centre of France. Altitude 600m

Week ending 2nd December 2007
Temp max +6.8°C
Temp min -2.1°C
Total precipitation 6.2mm

Full current local weather and 5 day forecast available here

KK

English Channel ...8am- 2pm Sunday......

Force 9 gusting 10......with 30 ft( or more..????) waves!!!!!


What a trip to remember!!!! ( well at least I've got some mistletoe and booze!!)

Blue skies back in Portsmouth- nice to be back in Blighty! ( where did that name come from??- surely not the quality of our spuds??)

Don't envy you the crossing Nicos. Only had one like that in the last 4 years, not much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

26th November - 2nd December.

2007 Max Temp 9C Min Temp 0C Rain 29mm

2006 Max Temp 14C Min Temp -3 Rain 20.5mm

Well we got blasted yesterday as did many of you I expect. However no damage that I can see at the moment and the Chooks still have all their feathers.

Planted 2 out of 4 Apple trees that a very kind Frenchman gave me Grafted them himself, clever chappie!! He also gave me some cuttings of Blackcurrants but not the ordinary kind, it seems that they have super large fruit. I will have to wait and see what they are like.

Spent Wednesday afternoon trying to sort out a friends Raspberries, what a job, jungle of canes over about 5 sq metres and bindweed roots like you never saw

Good bit of news, MOLES ARE DIMISHING. Perhaps it is, as Scientific Daughter says, the soil is now wet enough for the worms to go deeper and the moles follow them. Hope so

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Cor it aint half wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3rd - 9th December

2007 Max Temp 12C Min Temp 1C Rain 57mm

2006 Max Temp 12C Min Temp -1C Rain 50mm

We have had heavy rain and squalls with hail and thunder at times together with high winds and so very little gardening. On Friday we planted a Cherry tree that a friend had given me in between the squalls. The ground was still quite dry about a foot beneath the surface. Other than that nothing to report.

The Hens are still laying.

Off to the UK tomorrow to collect aged Parent and CK will keep a record of the weather for me. Just hope that the crossong is not as bad as the one Nicos had.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Quite a change since last I posted. Returned to the UK and as I went the temperature fell.

11 - 23 December 2007

Max Temp 5C Min Temp -11C Rain 0mm

2006

Max Temp 9C Min Temp -7 Rain 18mm

It does seem at the moment that the long range forecast is correct, colder than last year and dryer. This year we have had hard frost for the last 12 days. Very pretty and Christmas day looks as if it will be white. Not snow, but frost so heavy that it looks like a light fall of snow. 3 Wood burners going full tilt and Aged Parent wearing all her clothes at once!

Nothing to report on the gardening front. Parsnips frozen in the ground so I have had to buy them! Chickens still producing the odd egg.

Happy Christmas to you all

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

A very quick one this week ;-

24th - 30th December 2007

Max Temp 8C Min Temp -7C Rain 6mm

2006

Max Temp 10C Min Temp -5 Rain 8mm

Really lovely weather, bright and sunny. Nothing happening in the garden except that I have just found some Daffodil and Crocus shoots. Is Spring far away?

Happy and good growing New Year to everyone

__________________
Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Bonne annee roitlet.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Sunshine and cold here...
Fireworks at midnight from the neighbours...and 2 types of woodpeckers eating their Xmas gifts!!! ( Greater and green..)

Happy New Year one and all!

31 Dec 2007 - 8 January 2008

Min Temp -5C Max Temp 9C Rain 27mm

31 Dec 2006 - 8 Jan 2007

Min Temp 1C Max Temp 15C (no not a mistake) Rain 28mm

The weather has turned very mild again but with it has come rain and MUD. The rain/sleet which fell on the night when the Temperature fell to -5C froze on contact with the ground which made getting about in the morning very interesting!

I have planted the broad beans in loo roll tubes and at the moment they are outside but I think I will get them under cover just to stop them getting waterlogged. I have dug up the rhubarb which is on the ground to get frosted.

Not much more going on at the moment. Off on me travels again tomorrow so will post again when I get back towards the end of the month. Think that by then I will need several days sleep to get over all the 'toing and frowing'.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

At last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9th - 29th January 2008

2008
Max Temp 13C Min Temp -10C Rain 34mm

2007
Max Temp 13C Min Temp -11C Rain 45mm

Interesting looking back on the same period last year the weather pattern is much the same. Cold around Christmas and then by the New Year turning milder but at the end of January the cold weather returning.

The Broad beans planted in loo roll tubes are germinating and the Garlic and shallots are putting on growth. Apart from that there is not much going on on the Potager.

The first species crocus and snowdrops are in bloom and the moles are digging for France!!!!!!!!!!

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

30th Jan - 5th Feb 2008

Max Temp 10C Min Temp -9C Rain 24mm

2007

Max Temp 8C Min Temp -4 C Rain 9mm

This year we have had a great deal more frost than last year and some high winds. After a very cold snap just after I got back it has now turned mild and wet. I would like to get on with the digging but the ground is too wet and heavy and I can only get on it with a board to stand on.

Very little new to report except that I did see the first celandine the other day and the moles are still hyperactive and I think that I am going to have to resort to poison AND for the second time one of my plastic greenhouse jobs has taken off

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Fab weather since last Wednesday. Bright sun during the day and frost every night. Sun so strong that the tops of my ears have started to burn, must remember to put the sun block on!

6th Feb -10th Feb 2008

Max Temp 11C Min Temp -5C Rain 0mm

6th Feb - 10th Feb 2007

Max Temp 9C Min Temp -4 Rain 16.5mm

Still not a lot growing wise, Broad Beans growing slowly in their tubes and the Sweet Potato is growing small hairy roots. The Carrot bed is coming on with lots of Mole diggings, old potting compost and sand added, will try to get some leaf mould on as well.

Buds on the Fruit bushes are swelling nicely.

I am going to start sowing seed in the next week as I decided that I was a bit early last year and had difficulty keeping things going. I have decided to buy in Pepper, Chillie and Tomato plants this year and to plant the parsnips late in March in the hope that they won't get quite as big and be easier to get out of the ground.

Long may this weather continue!

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet