Topic: Are there any other non-UK people?

[antipodes]

As I am in France, not always the same advice applies! Different allotment system, different plants, different weather - is there anyone on the board who does not live in the UK?
Let's test the forum's International appeal :P

[saddad]

I'm not foreign... (well as I come from Lancashire there may be some debate about that...) but will be interested to see if there are...
 :)

[Obelixx]

I'm British but live and garden in central Belgium 50kms south of Brussels.  Winters can be much colder and longer than in the UK but we've had a short and mild one this year with the lowest being only about 10C.  We went down to -6 again in late March for a couple of nights which seems to have been just enough to kill off all the shoots on my Guinée rose which does not seem to want to put out any new ones.  Oh well.  Planting opportunity.  Everything else is fine.  I don't have an allotment but I do have a vegetable garden about 70m square and a fruit patch as well as lots of ornamental stuff - http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/obelixxbe/my_photos

Summers usually get to a humid 33C.   We have 18C at the mo and bright sun but it was chilly yesterday and we had a sharp frost last night.  I heard our first cuckoo yesterday evening.  The earliest before this was the 25th in 2005.

I don't find the seasons a problem so much as sourcing products I would like - seaweed fertiliser, John Innes type compost, new model slug pellets etc...  and I don't have any decent garden centres near here but can get more unusual plants at the seasonal plant fairs and I have a wonderful Clematis Man whose clems never fail me because he puts their degrees C of hardiness on the label.  I can buy seeds on the internet - parsnips, lima beans, purple sprouting etc are not available here and shop ranges seem limited anyway - and also buy plugs of brassicas, salads and fennel and so on in the weekly markets.

[antipodes]

Hellloooo Obelix!
I found that buying seeds over the Net was a good idea, especially as sometimes you get special offers. That is how I bought my parsnip seeds  :) Actually they are from Willemse, who are a bit annoying because they keep sending you offers! But I bought my fruit bushes there and they are going very well. they are at willemse.fr on the net, they are near the Belgian border.

[Barnowl]

Re seed, there was a thread earlier that might inetrest you both regarding Baumaux seeds.

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,27402.0

To go directly to the site...

http://www.graines-baumaux.fr/

[Admin aka Dan]

There are a few non UK people - have a look at the member map,

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/action,googlemap

Give it a bit of time, and the pins appear.

Cheers

Dan

[clondalkingardener]

I'm in Dublin Ireland so there are a few non UK people on this board. The weather and soil type differs from place to place and shelter plays it's part too.

[STHLMgreen]

I'm in Stockholm. I'm learning Swedish and found the thought of learning all the gardening words as well too overwhelming. Plus the people on this board are so helpful and fun.

I just assume I should do everything about a month later, but with all the daylight, it almost catches up before it gets cold again.

Any others?

[Lost in France]

I'm in France as well. Moved over about 18 months ago and live in Northern Brittany, a bit milder than Yorkshire where we previously lived!

I would also recommend your area AngloInfo Forum as the Homes and Gardens bit offers useful stuff and there will be plenty of experienced ex-pats, living in your area, acessing it! I find the Brittany one invaluable for advice and experience of others.

Judi B

[cambourne7]

I am not English, i am from Dublin Ireland. Allotment in Cambridge though which is heavy clay.

Cambourne7

[Biscombe]

I'm in The Alpujaras on the outskirts of a town called Orgiva - love it!!
http://www.lasalpujarras.co.uk/content/view/10/25/
http://www.andalucia.com/province/granada/orgiva/home.htm

[Biscombe]

Sorry! country Spain!

[tuinman]

I'm in Holland, come from Scotland. Heres my alotment (or volkstuin in Ducth) -

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n31/valleydaz/DSC00752.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n31/valleydaz/DSC00750.jpg

[Leadlotus]

At present i live in Fife scotland, but we are in the process of trying to emigrate to New Zealand.

[carolinej]

we are in the process of trying to emigrate to New Zealand.

Oooh, how exciting. Keep us posted on your progress ;D

cj :)

[Garjan]

Hi all
I'm in the middle of the Netherlands, or Holland as Tuinman calls it.

The weather in the south of the UK reaches us a few days later, so I use A4A-posts as a garden weather forecasts. If there are posts about protecting plants, I'll look for my cloches and fleece  :).

Seeds I buy over the Net, as our main garden centre chain is reducing the number of vegetable varieties avaliable. You at A4a provide a lot of information on varieties that I have never seen in the GC and now dare to buy from the digital catalogues. Thank you.