Categories
Autumn leaves / Les feuilles mortes d'automne Making compost / Comment faire du compost Mulching / Paillage Planting / Plantation

Mulching / Paillage

Version en français en bas de la page … As we are having drier summers it is becoming more and more useful to mulch borders and beds. Mulch was traditionally used to reduce the need for weeding but now with increased summer temperatures, conserving moisture and reducing watering is a prime concern for many gardeners. […]

Categories
Autumn / automne Autumn leaves / Les feuilles mortes d'automne Leafmould / Le terreau de feuilles mortes

Autumn leaves / Les feuilles mortes d’automne

Version en français en bas de la page … Autumn leaves This morning I made a start on clearing the leaves that have already fallen on two of the lawns in the garden. If dead leaves are left on the grass, it encourages the worms to come to the surface to take the decaying leaves […]

Categories
Compost / Compost Leafmould / Le terreau de feuilles mortes Making compost / Comment faire du compost

Making compost / Comment faire du compost de jardin

Importance of compost In an organic garden making compost is an essential means of maintaining soil fertility and avoiding waste. It is different to leafmould but just as important. Most garden waste e.g. weeds, light prunings, grass and lawn mowings etc can be composted. There are, however, some exceptions and I do not recommend that […]

Categories
Autumn / automne Handy Hints / Astuces Plant diseases / Maladies de plantes Planting / Plantation

Handy hint / Astuce – Mildew/Mildiou

Version en français en bas de la page … Old tomato, pea and courgette plants With all the recent rain, certain plants, especially tomatoes, will be rotting and mildewed (mildew is a fungal disease present in the air) if they’re still in the veg patch. When you dig them up, don’t put them in the […]

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Autumn / automne Bird table / Mangeoire à oiseaux Wild birds / Oiseaux sauvages

Making a Bird Table / Fabriquer une mangeoire à oiseaux

It’s very important to feed the birds from autumn onwards and sometimes even all year round if there’s insufficient wild food around. I decided to modify last years bird table by putting a roof on it so that the food can be kept dry to avoid it going mouldy, as there’s always something they don’t […]

Categories
Autumn / automne Leafmould / Le terreau de feuilles mortes

Leafmould / Le terreau de feuilles mortes

Autumn is here and with it fall the leaves. Leaves are often regarded as a nuisance but leaves are an essential element in an organic garden. Most leaves can be turned into leafmould without being shredded first, the exceptions being holly – because of their spines – and thick leaves like plane tree leaves, which […]

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Autumn / automne Bulbs / Bulbes Planting / Plantation Woodlands / Les Bois

Woodland bulb planting / Des bulbes à planter dans un bois

Thanks to Bryan for prompting this post. The sight of spring bulbs and flowers in a woodland is a real boost to the senses. Before you buy the bulbs, take some time to think about the situation in your woodland. The trees shade the area during the summer and absorb a lot of water whilst […]

Categories
Autumn / automne Planting / Plantation Seeds / Les graines

Saving tomato seeds / Comment garder des graines de tomate

If you grow old varieties of tomatoes it’s a good idea to save the seeds in the Autumn. The interesting thing about old varieties of tomatoes is that they are not predictable croppers nor necessarily ‘pretty’ BUT the taste is so much better than the standard tomatoes bought in the supermarkets. It is also likely […]

Categories
Insect Houses / Gîtes d'insectes Insects / Les insectes

Insect House / Gîte à insectes

Now is the time to think about either buying or making a refuge for beneficial insects over the winter. Beneficial insects such as solitary bees and wasps are essential in the garden for pollination, helping to reduce the impact of the demise of the honey bee. The pictures show the various stages of a refuge […]

Categories
Autumn / automne Planting / Plantation

Autumn Planting / Plantation d’automne

Having paid a visit to Magasin Vert, I came away with some lettuce plants suitable for the autumn and early winter. I decided to plant them in an area that had been full of poppies and wild-flowers during the summer. Having cleared the area, I dug it over and raked it level. It was incredibly […]