mooky Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 I have a new french neighbour. He is not even living in the house yet. A few weeks ago he started to rotivate the garden at the back of me. It had not been used for years, and was a disgusting mess. He rotivated it, and sowed seeds. He has not watered it at all. He has the most perfect veg just sprouting up, all in lovely military rows. I used the lunar method when I remember, and my vegs are growing, not as good as his though. I spend ages on mine, he spends a few minutes a week. What is the secret? We have a high water level here, Nr Chef Boutonne. I feel embarrased by my garden; I am new to gardening though. He hadn't even manured his. Do you have to be french to have fantastic potagers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Make appreciative noises and gestures and he's bound to share some tips (and produce?) with you![:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini_man Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 [quote user="mooky"] He hadn't even manured his. Do you have to be french to have fantastic potagers?[/quote]Are you sure? Fumier is the n°1 ingredient in any successful potager, well that and water :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 [quote user="mooky"] It had not been used for years, and was a disgusting mess.[/quote]According to my OH [who is the gardener in our family] the fact that this land had not been used for years is the key to your neighbour's present success. His other tip is to watch closely what the neighbour does next year ... [:)]Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Are you sure he put seeds ? I was similarly impressed with my neighbours growth rate and precision planting, until I caught her (a little furtively !) sneaking some young plantlets between the two or three of her seeds which had come up !!Having said that, there is an old man (and I mean ancient man) in next village who seems to have a veggie plot the size of a football field, and it really is the most impressive sight by about June, and I definitely saw no tell-tale plastic plant pots lying around in his patch.Sue is right of course also; last year I had same situation and had a bumper crop; whether the magic will work this year, I am not so sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooky Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 I know he bought his tomatoes from the garden centre. He just plonked them in on leave planting lunar time.I grew mine from seed; they are good; I have never seen him water any of his crops.He laughs because I water mine. He argues and I agree if you plant, sow on the proper lunar day; they don't need so much water. The other point is, if you water plants they don't have to dig down to make strong routes. I have joined the local big pumpkin challenge. Looking good so far, but can't see the others, all hidden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Framboise Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 What is this Lunar Planting Time? Do you plant stuff at different moon phases or something?I have always been blessed with Green Fingers yet I have never heard of this system, and anyway as far as I'm concerned if the plants need watering then I will give it to them. Did Alan Titchmarsh not say something along the lines of "If it needs watering, water it"? Anyway, regardless of whether its noon or midnight, if my precious little ones were going to keel over to die then I would water them undoubtedly. (That is not an issue here today in UK!! Rain yet again of course)And I agree with the other correspondent who said the neighbour's success was probably more to do with the fact his land has been untouched for so long. This works alongside the crop rotation system whereby you will get a visible improvement on yields after the land has rested for a year, lain fallow as they say, particularly when you plant a "green manure" crop which gets dug back in to the soil. Also you can expect bumper crops if your land floods, like water meadows, as this event brings all the lovely mineral-rich silty stuff in which plants simply love.There, I knew my Rural Science lessons at school would come in useful one day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 [quote user="moya"]What is this Lunar Planting Time? Do you plant stuff at different moon phases or something?[/quote]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/lunar.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Framboise Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Thankyou Clair. I shall study that carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 My elderly neighbours have always gardened by the moon and will study the calendar from La Poste before they sow, plant, propagate or pick anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I'm envious of the perfect, neat, apparently healthy potagers of our french neighbours. I think one reason for their success is that they have been in agriculture all their lives and know all the tricks and routines. However I did see one patch covered in weeds, then turned yellow (?sprayed ) then rotovated perfect again. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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