Friday 29 April 2011

Comfrey.

Comfrey (rich in potash) or nettles (rich in nitrogen).
I use comfrey in three ways.
The first is simply to add it to the compost heap, where its nutrients will both enrich the whole heap and encourage decomposition. Comfrey has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio - ideal for most plants.
The second way is to spread the leaves as a mulch beneath, say, your tomatoes. This acts like any other mulch - slowing down evaporation of moisture and suppressing weeds - but because the leaves rot quickly, it also enriches the soil where the surface roots are.
Comfrey as a mulch - avoid using flowering stems as these can root.


5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden. Comfrey.

Simply soak a one part comfrey leaves to three parts water, let sit for a week and strain the rich tea. Use it as you would any liquid fertilizer for your tomatoes, cucumbers, squash or root crops. In fall, as the flowers die down, cut the plant completely back and chop it up. Add it to your compost where they’ll add a rich store of essential minerals.
5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden: "5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden"

Monday 25 April 2011

It's Growing.

Every day it grows a little more then it was the day before...
...in the warmth of the summer sun... it's growing!










Saturday 23 April 2011

A 'potager'...(огород-с фр.).

The Parc Floral of Haute-Bretagne.
The garden is situated not far from Fougeres, north-east of Rennes.
What are Potager Gardens.
Potager gardens combine the utilitarian nature of the English kitchen garden with the style and grace of French fashion. It is basically an ornamental vegetable garden. Plants are chosen for both their edible and ornamental natures and are put together in such a way that it looks pretty while still providing food for the household.

'Potager' - это сад и огород в одном лице. У тебя есть сад, которым ты можешь наслаждаться и... питаться."
Потажер – это участок, на котором совместно выращивают овощи и цветы.
С целью сделать функцию обеспечения продовольствием эстетичной.
Потажер - объединяет утилитарный характер английского огорода со стилем и изяществом французской моды.

Ботанический сад или Парк растений Верхней Бретании, Франция. 
(Parc floral de Haute Bretagne).
Это всего лишь салат!

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Укроп, dill

Лучшие предшественники укропа — овощные культуры, под которые вносили органические удобрения(навоз, компост).
Сеют укроп весной (апрель — май) и летом (июнь) в несколько сроков, чтобы бесперебойно иметь свежую зелень до глубокой осени.
Всходы укропа появляются довольно поздно — на 14—18-й день после посева.
Укроп сеют на грядах на расстоянии 15—20 см между рядами и на 1—2 см семя от семени в ряду.
Глубина заделки семян 1—3 см (на тяжелых почвах мельче, на легких — глубже).
Чтобы ускорить их прорастание, весенние посевы следует укрывать светопрозрачной пленкой. Как только появятся всходы, пленку немедленно убирают.
--------
 укроп это однолетнее растение , а фенхель двулетнее.Если осенью фенхель выкопать и отправить на хранение в погреб , а на будущий год снова посадить , вырастет съедобное утолщённое корневище 

Rotation plan

A good four-year rotation plan is Pots, Legs, Bras and Roots, or
Year 1 - potatoes;
Year 2 - peas and beans (legumes);
Year 3 - the cabbage family (brassicas) and
Year 4 - roots.

It recommends that you divide crops into four main groups as follows:

Legumes: French beans, peas, runner beans, broad beans
Root vegetables: radish, carrot, potato, onion, garlic, beetroot, swede, sweet potato, shallots
Leafy greens: spinach, chard, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach
Fruit-bearing: tomato, sweetcorn, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, courgette, aubergine

Sandy soils. Grow suitable crops.

Good vegetable crops for sandy soils will include all of
- the carrots,
- beetroot,
- radishes,
- parsnips,
- garlic and
- the early salad crops of lettuce and the like.

Potatoes early crops are ok, but maincrop potatoes will need added bulky manures to keep the soil moisture levels high for good production.

Brassicas generally, runner beans (Early French Beans are ok) Celery, and Rhubarb are best not grown on sandy vegetable plot soils. They all need too much regular moisture for suitable growth.

Thursday 14 April 2011

The best way to sow parsnip seeds.

The best way to sow parsnips:

One technique is to sow along a half-inch deep drill in the soil and then thin out to one plant every six inches.

The other is to sow three seeds at a time every six inches and later thin the seedlings to leave one parsnip at each station.

Monday 11 April 2011

Dwarf beans. (French Bean).

- do not need staking.
- during the Autumn or Winter dig in old compost or well rotted manure
- in the spring add some organic fertilizer.
- seed should never be sown if the soil is wet and cold
- never pour water in the drill at sowing time, water under cloches when the plants are 15cm (6in) high.
– sow under cloches (Put cloches in place two weeks before sowing to warm up the ground.)
- in late March or early April for a harvest in June in a cold frame 5cm (2in) apart and 5cm deep
- transplant seedlings towards the end of May, 22.5cm (9in) between plants and rows 45.5cm (18in) apart
- time between sowing and harvesting - about 10-12 weeks
- sow the next crop in May without glass, so every three weeks from April to the middle of July.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Radishes

Radishes -
- a growing companion to other vegetables such as peas or beans
- 'Champion'. Very easy to grow, it produces medium-sized ruby-red radishes which are both crunchy and tangy. An excellent choice.
- a very well-dug soil to a depth of 15cm (6in) with no stones or fresh compost in it.
- For summer varieties, begin sowing in mid-April and continue at three week intervals to September.
- For winter varieties, begin sowing at the end of July at three week intervals to September.
- about 3cm apart is ideal and rake in or cover with a centimetre of soil.
- They can be ready in as little as 18 days from sowing, although 20-30 days is more usual.
- they are a brassica

Thursday 7 April 2011

Green manure | Plants | Gardening Blog | Talk | BBC Gardeners' World

Green manure | Plants | Gardening Blog | Talk | BBC Gardeners' World: "There are a few green manures to sow now, suitable for a range of soil types:

1. Grazing rye (Secale cereale) improves soil structure. Sow from August to November and dig in the following spring.

2. Winter field bean (Vicia faba) is good nitrogen fixer for heavy soils. Sow from September to November.

3. Mustard (Sinapis alba) is a brassica, so should not be followed by other brassicas in your crop rotation, as this can lead to the build up of diseases such as club root. Gardeners in the south can still sow it now, but those up north should wait until spring.

4. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is good for loamy soils and fixes nitrogen. Its flowers are a great food source for bumblebees. Again, gardeners down south can probably get away with sowing it now, those up north should sow winter beans instead."

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Планирование Участка.

Что бы отложить прямой угол, достаточно куска веревки!
Берете веревку длиной 12 метров плюс еще чуть-чуть – чтобы связать концы узлом. То есть после связывания длина веревочного кольца должна быть ровно 12 метров. Теперь краской или фломастером наносим на веревку метки. Узел возьмем за первую точку, вторую метку ставим через 3 метра, третью – еще через 4. В результате на веревке отмечены три куска длиной 3, 4 и 5 метров.
Вам нужно отложить перпендикуляр к забору в определенной точке? Вбиваем в эту точку колышек. Второй вбиваем тоже около забора на расстоянии трех метров от первого. Надеваем на них веревочное кольцо так, чтобы метки, отмечающие трехметровый отрезок веревки, легли на эти колышки. А теперь отходим, держа в пальцах последнюю метку до тех пор, пока веревка не натянется. Четырехметровый отрезок будет идти по отношению к забору ровно под прямым углом. Сумма квадратов катетов равна квадрату гипотенузы.


Это взяла отсюда:
s0no: Про дачу. Еще раз о планировке участка, а также о стиле и тяжелой болезни: "чтобы отложить прямой угол, достаточно куска веревки"

Mulch your garden


The types of mulch are varied and can be anything organic or inorganic.
  • Straw/Hay/Lucerne – These are great to put around fruit trees and look great in cottage gardens. They’re inexpensive materials and will keep down weeds very effectively. The best way to apply this type of mulch is to first put down some blood and bone fertiliser around the base of the tree. Overlay this with some newspaper to cover the spread of the tree and then cover the paper with sheep or horse manure (slow-release fertiliser). Finally apply the straw densely over the manure and water in.
  • How to mulch

    • Before mulching make sure the site is clear of weeds and the soil is moist. Water if necessary as it's difficult to wet dry soil through a layer of mulch.
    • Fill up a wheelbarrow with your chosen mulch and spread a 5cm (2in) layer around plants or across the soil with a spade, leaving a little gap around the stems of plants.
    • Rake to a level finish.

Sunday 3 April 2011

We are sowing seeds...

...I cannot put into words how much I am enjoying spending time in the garden.
We are sowing:

What to grow in your allotment.

What to grow in your allotment - Times Online:
carrots
cabbage
calabrese
potatoes
quick-growing salads

cold frame: Try beans
peas,
radishes,
onions,
salad leaves
beetroot.

- need lots of watering:
Courgettes,
tomatoes,
squashes and
pumpkins

Friday 1 April 2011

Techniques - Grow your own salad.

Sow seeds in short rows about 30cm (12in) apart.


When the seedlings are about 2cm (1in) tall, thin them out to give them space to grow. 
The distance will depend on variety, but is usually between 15cm (6in) and 30cm (12in).
BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Grow your own salad