Topic: Phaenology

[galina]

 Does anybody use Phaenology ..............

ie when this sign in nature ............. then that gardening job?

I use three data points for my timing of gardening jobs.  I learned that when the forsythia starts flowering it is time to sow peas (indoors for transplanting a month later).  And when the comfrey sprouts again, it is time to plant potatoes.  Which is useful because a few leaves of comfrey into the potato planting hole or trench is beneficial to give them a good start.  As soon as weeds start growing, I transplant early lettuce.

There must be many more of these useful phaenology indicators.  Does anybody else use the signs of nature to time gardening jobs?  The old-time advice of 'When May is out (hawthorn flowers), winter has lost its clout) is somewhat useful for planting frost tender plants like tomatoes or squash, but it is not failsafe by a long way here - fleece at the ready!   

[goodlife]

Interesting question!

I don't tend to have any particular references..though I've heard those you've mentioned, particular the hawthorn one.
I just keep eye on generally what the nature does. Few of weeks ago frogs were getting 'busy'..but they were not ready to squeeze spawn out...so I took a sign that we have some cold weather to come...and yes, they did knew it 
And I keep eye on hedges around the plot..once they and any perennial weeds start showing sign of new growth = we are nearly ready transplanting first 'bits and bobs'. Annual weeds are not showing signs of germination yet, so ground is too cold for direct sowing.

[Digeroo]

I did have a flush of annual weeds and sowed a few things but apart from the spinach the subsequent cold has put them off. 

I have found the comfrey tip works well.  Though in some sheltered places it has already put in an appearance. 

[Silverleaf]

That's an interesting idea. My forsythia is just breaking into flower (the sparrows are already eating it) and my pear trees will be gorgeous in a week or so.

My indoor growing space is unfortunately full of tomatoes and peppers and TPS right now though, so peas will have to wait! But I put my early potatoes in yesterday...

[Silverleaf]

I really should get some comfrey. I keep forgetting to do that.

[Tee Gee]

I have been using it for the past two or three years!

Many of you will know that my website is a summary of the diaries I have ket for the last thirty years but even with all that information I never know when to start up my gardening year.

This last three years I have been experimenting with natural timings.

OK the start of the year is the first of January or week one if you use my website but plants don't work to a calendar as such so how do they know when to get going, because if I new that I would probably get more accurate timing so here I what I am doing now!

I use my Snowdrop,Crocus and Daffodils as a guide like this:

When my Snowdrops appear  I use that date as my start up date for example:

If they appear before the first of January let say by a couple of weeks I mentally adjust all the timings in my website to be a couple of weeks earlier, or conversely two weeks later if the appear in mid January.

OK that take care of my early stuff!

Then the crocus appear that's when I start sowing more tender stuff  like tomatoes and Peppers so once agai I relate that date +or- on the date shown on my website which might indicate the season has picked up or is a bit late so I adjust my timings by that amount!

Next comes the Daffodils and usually this is when I start up my vegetables e.g Brassicas.

Then when the Daffs die down and I have left them to die back for around six weeks then that fits in with planting out time for things such as potatoes onions.

Then I compare this date with my planned planting out times in my website  and do another + or - calculation to tell me when to plant out the rest of my stuff.

I am pleased to say that for the last three years it has worked out quite well

It is certainly better than dropping my trousers and testing the soil temperature with my bare ass.

Another thing  I am think of experimenting with is sowing insitu seeds when the annual weeds start emerging because as I see the soil must be warming up.

Now I never new such practices had such a fancy title as Phaentology but now that I know that it makes me feel  like a right clever beggar.

[jimc]

I tend to go by a date and adjust up or down to suit the season as it is panning out. But it is hard because a lot of my fruit was running 2 weeks ahead of usual harvest time last season. And I also plant before or after the equinox's too. For instance my garlic and onion seeds get planted on or soon after the autumn equinox so they are well established before the winter cold sets in. My observations though show that garlic lost in the ground at the last harvest will start to shoot 3-4 weeks before the equinox. Does that mean I should plant earlier than I do now?
Then my climate allows me to plant most lettuce types, beetroot, silver beet carrots and parsnips monthly through out the year.

[galina]

jimc, you must have much better daylight hours during winter than we do.  Here it isn't just the cold that stops growth, but also the lack of light. 

I believe the potato and comfrey advice might have come from HDRA/GO.  Did you get it from there Digeroo?  Comfrey contributes potash and a bit of nitrogen from memory and prevents scab (not absolutely sure about the last one).  Very beneficial for flowering/fruiting heavy feeders like tomato and spuds.  Good stuff.  Either as liquid or as mulch, or as leaves into the planting trench for potatoes (at that time the leaves are still pretty small), Silverleaf.  Rots down really quickly.  And you can use a pretty unpromising corner of the garden, comfrey does not need a prime spot.  You can harvest and shred in one go by using a lawnmower set on high.  I use shears, anything not use for mulch goes into my liquid fertiliser bin together with nettles.

Tee Gee, you may not use the term phaenology, but gosh, you are certainly using it to great effect.  I have learned a lot from your post, thank you.     I think goodlife, you are just a natural and very observant without even thinking about it.  Green fingers both 

[Digeroo]

It is quite amazing because all sorts of things have got going in the past couple of days,  The red currant has overtaken the gooseberry, the apple trees are showing signs of action and the weeds are starting.  A mass of raspberry shoots have appeared.   Looks like a good sign.   

Might try some more carrots.  Aldi have Nantes no 5 which do well for me for 39p so if nothing happens I will not be too upset.  Certainly some more spinach first batch already looking good. I do like the baby leaves.   Might throw in some beetroot.  Got some old brassica packets so might try those as well.

Got the comfrey advise on here.  I normally stuff some leaves around the spuds it also seems to reduce the amount of scab.

[clumsy]

This is very interesting. My mum always starts planting peas when the plum tree in our garden start to grow at the beginning of march. This I started with her advice as soon as the plum tree was starting to grow I planted the peas on march the 10th and the peas are sown direct into the soil plus using no dig method on the soil. I remember everyone saying it's to cold at the time plus frost was on the ground but I sowed them anyway the covered with fleece.