my little update from a French garden

[antipodes]

Hello to all you Brits! here in W. France, the worst summer ever! Today it is overcast again!! But I did get to the garden this w'end. The weeds are taking over! So I will need another huge weeding session this week.

• I pulled up my first spuds as the plants have completely disappeared. the harvest is pathetic, one carrier bag full for a 1.5 x 2m plot  :( I will try some of the red Rosevals next week.
  Also I dug up my onions as they had all died off and I was worried about the continuing wet weather. they are not fantastic but some are as big as my fist and none seem rotten so I guess I am pleased. I got about 50 onions out. They are drying in the kitchen (hubby not happy about that one!).
  The green beans are not as luxiurious as they usually are but I am getting a few beans here and there. I think i will destroy my peas as they are a bloody eyesore and only giving a pod or two.
  My tomatoes are not all dead! Some have revived! Yippee!
  Anyway this year is a learning experience and I have learnt for 2008:
  - Plant garlic and onions to overwinter,
  - Sow more cabbage and broccoli directly in seed beds in the garden.
  - Sow my own leeks.
  - Sow peas early under cover this time! (ditto for carrots)
  - Learn more about spuds and plant the right varieties at the right time!
  - Plant tomatoes on black plastic!!
  - Get myself some polytunnels set up so I can have lettuce and radishes in the spring.
  - Unless it's hot don't bother with melon and squash.
  - Find a kind soul to send me more Qld Blue pumpkin seeds and treat them as VIPs until they are big hardy plants (they karked it sniff sniff).
  
  Anyway my big projects for next year are: get my proper paths in during the winter and get a medieval herb garden going next to the shed (which means digging out the blackberry and lemon balm I stupidly left in, getting some nice rocks in and putting some compost and more soil to have nice healthy herbs). Having a garden is exhausting and frustrating but it is so great to have a hobby where things are alive and you reap the fruits of your labour that I will struggle on, and hope that I get on top of the weed problem next season.
  enjoy your harvests!

[antipodes]

[emmy1978]

Salu

Not the best of years over here either.  :( Glad to hear some stuff doing ok -done well with your onions haven't you?
It's all about learning from your mistakes isn't it? That's always been my approach to gardening and I think it applies even more to veg growing. I've learned so much this year - really looking forward to next year so i can put some of into practise.
Your herb garden plan sounds great. I'm going for a sort of sensory garden with my 2nd plot. Have fun!  8)

[saddad]

What happened to the peas they like it wet!
Sorry you are having a hard time of it... my squash are useless too.. still there are a lot worse off...

:-X

[allaboutliverpool]

It is fascinating to hear of your problems. We get a Utopian view of France and its weather and assume everything is grapes, olives and oudoor tomatoes galore.

I notice, here on holiday however, in Nice, that vegetable prices are sky high, even out of the tourist areas which shows that not all is wonderful.

It seems that there has not been a perfect time for planting this year. I planted early and then everything stopped in the drought to stagger back only now, and others that waited and planted in the wet are still getting nowhere!

One success has been carrots planted under fleece. It kept them moist in the drought, and warm in the cold, and no carrot fly.

I cannot wait for next year!

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage

The frame in the foreground of the photo on my homepage half way down is the fleece covered bed.

Next year I shall use the same system for other crops including salad stuffs. It also stops the rain bouncing soil up into the lettuce and keeps the birds off

[antipodes]

It's true that everyone thinks France is all sun and lavender fields! ha ha but that's only in the south! I must admit though usually veg grow much better here than they have this year. On our lot, all the oldies are grumbling, and chucking Bordeaux mixture about but to not much avail. We can grow more things outside than in the UK it seems, like tomatoes, squash etc, I have some magnificent sunflowers now, as big as me  ;D
What is important is that after this first season I have seen what works and what doesn't and have had a chance to observe how the others have done things (Successfully), so next year I know what I need to do for certain plants. I am dropping the gherkins and I will do sweetcorn, as some others here have beautiful corn growing. LIVE AND LEARN!!! (enjoy Nice, it's a great part of the country)