Ana Isabel - Life Astrologer
The Moon and Biodynamics
Bio
We often think about the Full Moon as having an effect on us. This is obvious as we can see its influence on the tides, which are higher. We can also feel its effect on us. When I was a teacher, children were always more hyper around the Full Moon. Even my pets seem to have been more needy at this time of the month; and of course we know that some Police Forces have admitted to having more officers on duty at the time of the Full Moon because statistically they can see that there are more incidents aroud this time.However, the Moon is linked with the earth all the time, so its energy does affect us all the time. Since having an allotment, I have developed an interest in biodynamics. This is a way of gardening that takes into account the place of the Moon when doing different tasks in the garden. It also involves caring for the soil with the preparation of natural feed and ways of controlling pests. Many of you interested in organic gardening will be familiar with some of the principles placing emphasis on the health of the soil. But biodynamic preparations also have some links with homeopathic principles.
In addition to my usual blog about Astrological events, on this page I am writing about my experiences as a biodynamic gardener in a special blog. I am also providing a gardening calendar each week so that you can plan your gardening week. Happy Gardening!!!
Turnips are one of the few crops at this time of year and they're rather large!
So wonderful to have a sunny afternoon as it's been rather gloomy lately.
First month, looking a little bare- but still there are weeds!
Some of the Squash and Pumpkin Harvest
One of many very large onions!
September- Sharing the beauty with a friend.
Cornflowers in the pumpkin patch- September
Giant beetroot- September
Middle of August
Picking Raspberries
Picking Spinach Beet and Swiss Chard
1st Apple Harvest
Aubergine Flower
Cucumbers
Ever Growing Compost Heap
Runner Beans
Squash and Pumpkin Patch
This Month in the Garden
(times listed are based on GMT)
22:01 Sunday 12th February- 00:56 Wednesday 15th February
Waning Moon in Scorpio
Sow some vegetables or herbs indoors, greenhouses or propagators. Lemongrass, and Sweet Marjoram for example can be sown now. You can also sow cress and lettuce that you can pick and eat while growing on the window sill.
00:56 Wednesday 15th February- 05:03 Friday 17th February
Waning Moon in Sagittarius
Prune blackcurrant bushes and autumn raspberries.
05:53 Friday 17th February- 10:28 Sunday 19th February
Waning Moon in Capricorn
Good day for weeding, attending to compost heaps
Plant out garlic that's been started in seedtrays
Sow carrots, parsnips indoors
10:28 Sunday 19th February- 17:31 Tuesday 21st February
Waning Moon in Aquarius
Enjoy the garden!
17:31 Tuesday 21st February- 02:47 Friday 24th February
Waxing Moon in Pisces
New Moon 22:34- 21st
Water House Plants
02:47 Friday 24th February- 14:29 Sunday 26th February
Waxing Moon in Aries
Sow aubergines, peppers, tomatoes, cape gooseberries indoors
14:29 Sunday 26th February- 02:26 Wednesday 29th February
Waxing Moon in Taurus
Attend to any compost jobs necessary
(times listed are based on GMT)
22:01 Sunday 12th February- 00:56 Wednesday 15th February
Waning Moon in Scorpio
Sow some vegetables or herbs indoors, greenhouses or propagators. Lemongrass, and Sweet Marjoram for example can be sown now. You can also sow cress and lettuce that you can pick and eat while growing on the window sill.
00:56 Wednesday 15th February- 05:03 Friday 17th February
Waning Moon in Sagittarius
Prune blackcurrant bushes and autumn raspberries.
05:53 Friday 17th February- 10:28 Sunday 19th February
Waning Moon in Capricorn
Good day for weeding, attending to compost heaps
Plant out garlic that's been started in seedtrays
Sow carrots, parsnips indoors
10:28 Sunday 19th February- 17:31 Tuesday 21st February
Waning Moon in Aquarius
Enjoy the garden!
17:31 Tuesday 21st February- 02:47 Friday 24th February
Waxing Moon in Pisces
New Moon 22:34- 21st
Water House Plants
02:47 Friday 24th February- 14:29 Sunday 26th February
Waxing Moon in Aries
Sow aubergines, peppers, tomatoes, cape gooseberries indoors
14:29 Sunday 26th February- 02:26 Wednesday 29th February
Waxing Moon in Taurus
Attend to any compost jobs necessary
20/02/12
The Moon in Aquarius is a good time to take a break. As I'm still recovering from a very nasty cold, I've taken the opportunity to rest and enjoy the fruits of last year's labour. Pumpkin soup and blackcurrant tonic- very soothing and healing when feeling unwell.
18/02/12
The Moon is in Capricorn and it's waning. This was the perfect day to plant garlic. You can watch this being done if you click on this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMnzO-XYZXs
I also sowed carrots and parsnips. These need warm soil so I sowed them in seed trays. As they are more likely to germinate in warmer temperatures, I'm keeping them indoors until they germinate. After that they'll be in the mini-greenhouse.
16/02/12
I've been teaching all day so there's been no time for the allotment, but I've been enjoying the fruits of last summer. Blackcurrants are a great source of vitamin C. Last year I made a blackcurrant tonic which I froze so that it was available for winter colds. This week, I've been feeling quite miserable with a cold, so out came the blackcurrant tonic. It's wonderful as besides knowing that I'm providing myself with all the vitamin C I need, it's a real taste of summer!
15/02/12
Waning Moon in Sagittarius- Pruning fruit bushes
It's hard to get motivated to leave the house when you have continual sneezing fits, watery eyes and a bad cough. Still I'm feeling better than yesterday and my gooseberry, blackberry and autumn raspberry bushes need pruning. The gooseberry has branches criss crossing each other. This means that when the leaves grow the sun won't get to the centre of the plant and the wood won't ripen as easily. It also means that branches get weaker from continuous friction and air doesn't circulate properly.
As for the autumn raspberries, cutting back the canes that fruited last year, will encourage new growth. New growth means more raspberries.
It should only take about twenty minutes to do this job. I guess I'd better get on with it!
13/02/12
The Moon is in Scorpio and this is a water sign. So I'm watering my houseplants but I'm also checking the garden. Before the snow, I noticed that some of my pots outdoors were dry. It's easy to think that the garden doesn't need watering in the winter but if you have pots with plants against walls, they may not be getting the rain. The snow has now melted, but I'm going to check whether anything is still dry.
12/02/12
Snow, and another week of my intensitve Hypnotherapy course have kept me off the allotment. I'm looking forward to being back there again tomorrow. At least before freezing temperatures return. In the meantime, there are seeds to order- so today is a day for reading seed catalogues. It's like being in a sweet shop!
3/02/12
A waxing Moon in Gemini means that it's a flower day, so this afternoon was all about cauliflowers. Back in the autumn I sowed a batch of seed. I've been meaning to prick them out and put them in more comfortable quarters- that's bigger pots, since December. But everytime the Moon was right, I was too busy and ran out of time. Happily, today Moon and time coincided so I spent a good part of the afternoon looking after them. It's a very cold day and a job like this doesn't involve a lot of movement. Being outdoors was not an option. For once I worked in comfort on a portable table in my hallway. It was like having a potting shed, but warmer. A very pleasant hour was spent and they're now comfortably sheltered in my mini-greenhouse.
31/01/12
One of the wonderful things about allotments is the fact that there's always someone on hand who can tell you what you need to know.
Being rather a novice compost maker, yesterday with the Moon in the Earth sign of Taurus, I invited my neighbour to come and look at my compost bin. Happily, it all looks as though it's rotting nicely. She then looked at my gigantic compost heap and told me that much of it could be burnt. This surprised me as I though it would be too wet. But she then told me that I could borrow her wheelbarrow and take all the burnable material to where she was creating a heap for a bonfire.
What a relief! My compost heap has been so big that I'd had to start another one. My site isn't that big and I was getting concerned about losing one of my beeds for growing food to another gigantic heap. Now my original heap is smaller, and I know that I can burn more material from it. This will then create potash which will feed my strawberry beds and apple trees. More recycling, the rest will continue to rot down to create beautiful compost that will make the clay soil more friendly to young plants.
29/01/12
With the Moon in Aries, the focus has been on fruit. Although thre isn't much of it at this time of year, I'm looking ahead. My strawberry patch was a joy last year but plants were growing too close together by the end of the season. So the job has been to clear up the dead leaves. This way I can get a sense of how many plants are in the bed and I can thin out those that are too tightly packed. This is important as it will help air circulate between the plants and minimise the development and subsequent spreading of fungus. It will also allow fruit to be more exposed to the sun during the ripening stage.
25/01/12
A Waxing Moon in Pisces means that today is an easy day. Water Moons are related to foliage plants and these are best delt with on a Waning Moon. So today, I'll water the house plants that need it and do some more tidying up.
24/01/12
The Moon is now Waxing again and it's in Aquarius. This isn't a Moon associated with gardening so I usually use this time for enjoying the garden, contemplating changes that need to be made or tidying up. That's exactly what I did yesterday. One of my beds needed some attention, clearing weeds, etc. My mini greenhouse also need to to be prepared for the start of the growing season as it's about to get very busy indeed.
The fact that the Moon is in an air sign and waxing also made me think of my cauliflower seedlings. Ideally they'd be planted when the Moon goes into Gemini, but actually they're growing quickly and are desperate for more roomy pots. So I'll prick them out today and put them in the mini-greenhouse. Actually, that will only happen if the rain stops. So I'm comforting myself in the knowledge that the earth is drinkingly deeply and keeping my fingers crossed for a break in the weather for the sake of my cauliflowers!
21/01/12
A holiday and then the need to catch up with work have kept me off the allotment. The most I've done is water the house plants. I'm itching to go back on Monday. Still, at least I'm not worrying about everything becoming overgrown, drying out or overcome with weeds. This is the joy of winter. As much as I'm looking forward to the start of the growing season, there is such comfort in the slow pace of this season. When I get there on Monday, I know I'll be enjoying how quiet and peaceful it all looks!
10/01/12
The Moon is now Waning in the sign of Leo so it's time to do some pruning. There are some suckers on my peach tree which need to be removed. Suckers appear on the original root stock or trees that are grafted. If you have a fruit tree, chances are that it's grafted as this is done to provide a more vigorous or dwarf tree, depending on what's required. Suckers need to be removed as they drain the tree from its energy.
Other fruit family in need of pruning at this time of year, is the currant family. Blacurrants need the oldest and weakest branches removed. The same goes for all currants and gooseberries. This is also the time to cut back Autumn flowering raspberries. Take care to only removed branches that have fruited or you'll reduce the fruit yield for later in the year.
6/01/12
Today the Moon has been in Gemini. Air sign days are flower days, so my thoughts turned to the tulip bulbs which I found on the top shelf of my shed. Tulips are expensive but unreliable. Consequently Gardeners often recommend that they be treated as annual plants and bought every year. I think this is a waste and there is a better way of dealing with them. You can plant them very deep and this increases their reliability, but I find the best thing to do is to lift the bulbs when the foliage has died down, store them in a dark and ventilated place, planting them in November or December.
It is now January so you will notice that I am late. I planted my last batch in November but ran out of time. I then planned to plant them last month but last month, I had no time for gardening. So today was the day. It's fine, they'll just be a little late. In fact they had begun to sprout on their own. I can look forward to a beautiful display in the containers in my garden.
2/01/12
Today the Moon has been in Aries. Aries is a Fire sign and so the focus was on fruit. A few jobs needed doing that were overdue with last month having been taken up with hypnotherapy, nursing a cold and Christmas. So it was that I found myself picking olives. It's not a large crop, half a jar, but it's the largest ever and an unexpected bonus. The mild weather so far has meant that they weren't killed by frost before I got to them. They have now been marinated in olive oil, a splash of vinegar, garlic, oregano and salt. It's the first time I've done this so I'm looking forward to the results. Olives are too bitter to be eaten fresh. Time mellows them.
The mild weather has also brought on the start of blossom on my nectarine tree. I had hoped to have this covered and protected from the rain by the end of November but didn't get round to it. Today was the day. I may be too late to prevent peach leaf curl later this season, but at least the blossom will be protected from future frosts. Fingers crossed, I'll have my first harvest this year!
1/01/12
The beginning of the New has put me in a thoughtful mood. Last year my greatest success were the strawberries. I harvested from the middle of May to the middle of July and then to my great surprise I started to pick them again in September and carried on into early November. Wow!
The greatest disappointments were all due to losses brought about by voracious slugs and snails. So if I were to have a New Year's resolution for the garden, it's to be far more clever and ruthless when it comes to the slimy brigade!!!
In the meantime, I've started the New Year eating figs from my small tree which is taking refuge from the winter indoors. This is a most unexpected and welcome surprise!
May your harvest this year be abundant and bring you great joy!
30/12/11
A bad Migraine has kept me indoors since yesterday. Although it's better today, I've still needed quiet. I have, however, been thinking and planning. I've kept a diagram of all the beds on the allotment and what's been planted in them from the start (the last two years). This makes it easier to plan crop rotation.
Crop rotation is very necessary as it prevents a build up of pests and diseases associated with certain crops from building up in the soil. So for example, garlic and onions should be planted on different beds each year.
Today I've been planning where everything will be grown next year. A very simple, necessary and satisfying job that can be done even with a migraine.
26/12/11
It's now been three weeks since I was on the allotment. Christmas got in the way last week. There has been some gardening though. While I was sick in bed, my apricot tree arrived with three small blueberry bushes. The tree is a bare root tree and it remained in its package until Christmas Eve. It was the first chance I got to deal with it. I wasn't worried though as it's dormant, I knew it would survive a little while. So I soaked the roots in a bucket to rehydrate it and then a couple of hours later, it was planted in a container. It's staying indoors for the winter to stop it from being exposed to cold rain as this will mean that it won't get peach tree wilt.
Today I also attended to something that got put off while I was sick. I finally got the chance to plant my garlic. The Moon was still in Capricorn this morning so I knew I was just in time to make the most of a very young Moon in an Earth sign. Garlic needs exposure to about three weeks of very cold weather, preferably with frost. If it doesn't get this, you will get a very fat bulb without division into separate cloves. Thankfully, I think I'll be in time for the next cold spell.
16/12/11
It's been two weeks since I was on the allotment. Last week I was doing the second part of an intensive hypnotherapy course. I was teaching on Sunday and then came down with a terrible cold. It's very frustrating!!! I had hoped to have had everything in order before Christmas. For one thing, the garlic needs planting and today would have been the perfect day.
Enough moaning. If you have garlic that needs planting, today and tomorrow will be the right days for it. If you still have any potatoes in the ground, bring them in.
If like me, you are house bound, Virgo is a good sign for planting. My seed catalogue arrived today. I think I'll be spending a happy hour deciding what to order for next year.
2/12/11
With the days getting shorter, it's harder to get the time to be on the allotment. Happily, there is less to do at this time of year. So today, I watered my house plants and took a walk in the countryside. Two beautiful ponies are currently being used to graze some overgrown fields. We became great friends and I felt connected with nature once again.
30/11/11
Today the Moon is in Aquarius. This is an air sign so it's a day for flowers. This Moon is the only chance I have to deal with flowers while the Moon is Waxing this month, so although Aquarius isn't the best gardening Moon, I attended to my cauliflowers. I sowed the seeds last month and they're doing well. So today they were pricked out- planted into small pots and given some protection- as much from slugs as from the weather. I'm looking forward to having them in the early spring.
28/11/11
Last year I battled through wind, rain and mud to harvest in winter. That taught me the value of having some produce in store so that I don't have to go out everyday regardless of the weather. So the potatoes have all been harvested which means that they are clean, safe from the attention of slugs, eelworm and easily accessable. They are fairly easy to store as long as they are kept cool and in the dark, otherwise they begin to go green which makes them poisonous.
So I am now turning to the Salsify. With the Moon in Capricorn, an Earth sign, roots are the focus. The trouble is that salsify is not a common vegetable and no one has been able to tell me whether it's possible to store them in the same way that I store potatoes. I feel an experiement coming on. I'll let you know the results in due course.
25/11/11
With the Moon in Sagittarius (a Fire Sign), my thoughts turned to fruit. Specifically, I needed to check on my peach and nectarine trees. These need protection, not from frost but from cold rain. So once the leaves have fallen, I'll need to cover them with clear plastic so that they don't get wet but still have light. This is a tricky operation as they are in pots. They need to be measured so that I could create a kind of tent shelter around them. Tricky and fiddly but worth it if I'm to avoid peach leaf curl next year. This is a fungus which affects fruit of this family causing leaves to distort and fall in summer. Definately something to avoid.
24/11/11
If you're wondering how you can grow salad leaves in winter, then all you need is a window sill. You can grow bean sprouts, alfalfa and lettuce. Have a go and you'll be healthier throug the winter.
23/11/11
The Moon is now in Scorpio. This is a Water Sign, so it's time to think about leaves and herbs. My houseplants got a drink today and I was filled with pride when a client complemented me on their healthy appearance.
At this time of year, although it's still warm in the house, the days are shorter. This means that house plants are not growing as actively as they might otherwise. Consequently, they need less water and I stop feeding them. Before watering them on a Water Moon, I check whether they actually need it.
Central heating can also be a problem for some plants, so check whether you need to spray them so as to increase humidity. If you do so, try to do it early in the day so that they aren't wet at night if the heating goes off. Also remember that plants with furry foliage are prone to rotting if their leaves are wet.
One final tip- if you have plants on the windowsill, and you close the curtains at night, be sure to bring them into the room. If you don't you're leaving them exposed to the cold air coming in through the glass, especially if you don't have double glazing and you're depriving them of the heat in the room because the curtains act like a barrier. I can hear them shivering already!
22/11/11
The Moon is still in Libra and flowers continued to be the focus today. One of my allotment neighbours gave me a clump of Crocosmia Crocosmiflora, otherwise known and Monbretia. These are beautiful, a much more simple version of Gladioli. They grow in clumps of corms, similar to those of crocus.
They were given to me back in the summer and I haven't had the time to do much with them. They came with Couch Grass attached. Today's job was to get rid of the grass. In the process some of the clumps of corms broke away, thus creating new plants. Although I'd have preferred to have done this job on a Waxing Moon, the fact that I was working with the roots of the plant, means that the plants can still benefit from the Waning Moon. Very satisfying.
21/11/11
The Moon is now in the Air sign Libra. If you have any flower shrubs needing pruning at this time of year, tomorrow will be a good day to do it. As the Moon is Waning, there isn't much else to be done. There is, however, always weeding. At this time of year, seeds are still germinating and although the weeds have slowed down, there is still enough to keep me busy. I'm looking forward to some colder weather just so that I can feel that I'm on top of things. One thing that has helped is that I've let grass grow over my paths. At least now I'm only weeding the beds!
20/11/11
With the Moon in the Earth sign Virgo, my thoughts are with Compost. I'm often asked what goes into my compost bin. The anser is a combination of weeds, grass cuttings, prunings, vegetable peels, fruit peels. This includes citrus peels as long as these are free of juice, they're not that acid so they're ok. I also include herbal tea bags. Normal tea has too much tannin which would acidify the compost.
Actually the important thing is also to remember not to put in cooked food, meat or dairy products as these would attract mice and rats.
14/11/11
Finally- some time on the allotment! Today the Moon has been in Cancer. This being a Waning Water Moon, it was time to think of leaves. So I tidied up my Sorrel. This means that I took away dead leaves and noticed that I had some rust on other leaves. These were immediately removed.
I then checked the Spinach Beet and Swiss Chard. These are great. Last year they survived our coldest winter and the snow, so it's worth looking after them as they provide a ready supply of greens through the winter. Like the Sorrel, some of the leaves looked a bit tatty. These were removed. Some also had rust on them. These too were removed. Now what's left is healthy and in great shape to see me through the winter.
If you have Sorrel, tomorrow will be a good day to increase your supply. You can do this by roughly pulling outone of the stems, ensuring that there's a bit of root attached to it. Then plant it and you'll find a new plant growing soon. Alternatively, you might find that when you pull on an old stem, there is a little shoot of a new plant attached to it. You could also divide the plant by simply putting a fork through the middle of it and then pulling the two plants apart. This is quite a tough plant that can withstand some rough treatment. It's a great alternative to spinach in soups, and sauces. But take care that you don't use too much in one meal as it's it's high in Oxalic Acid.
13/11/11
I haven't had any time for the allotment the last few days. This is because of the shorter days. The allotment is still being enjoyed through the food I'm eating. Pumpkin soup has proved to be delicious and popular with all my students! Tomorrow is my day off. The Moon will be in Cancer so I'll be checking on my herbs. I think I'll be harvesting fennel.
10/11/11
It's a Full Moon in Taurus and the Sun is shining. I have a half hour window to bring in the last of my potatoes. Then that will be it for the winter. At least I know I won't be having to go out to harvest them in the wind and rain like last year. That was a real test to my commitment to eat my own produce!!!
5/11/11
Those who read this blog on a regular basis will remember that this year, my biggest battle has been with slugs and snails. For this reason, I had to resow my leeks much later than I should. They are now a small size but doing well. With the Moon in a Water sign, I decided to thin them in the hope that they will grow nice and fat in the early spring. This will come in handy as it's likely that my store of onions will be dwindling by then.
3/11/11
Early spring often is holds a hungry gap. That is to say, it's too early for all the early summer crops and the winter crops are done. So with the Moon in Aquarius, and it being a day to think about flowers, I turned my thoughts to spring. The perfect crop to sow today was cauliflower. With a little protection from the worst of the winter weather, I should have at least one crop in the early spring.
2/11/11
The Moon is in Aquarius. Aquarius is not the best sign for any gardening activity, but at the moment it is the only Air Sign in which the Moon is in the Waxing phase. This means that it was my only chance this month to plant my tulip bulbs. They are an indulgence wich will provide cut flowers for the house in the spring. I'm very excited about this as I've never had the space to grow flowers specifically for the house. I'm loving the Autumn but I'm also looking forward to spring!
1/11/11
The Moon has been in Capricorn today. This is an earth sign so I focused on earthy matters. I turned the material in my compost bin and was delighted to find that towards the bottom things are decomposing into something that will hopefully be fryable by next spring! This is very exciting as I've never made compost before!
I also harvested more potatoes. Just one more row to bring in. Jackets are in the oven as I write. Yum!
27/10/11
With the Moon in Scorpio, the focus is on herbs and leaf vegetables. Today's job is to split the peppermint. To do this, I'm going to simply cut the plant in half and pot up both pieces. This means that I can have a continuous supply of peppermint tea next year. I'm also bringing in more of my herbs for drying. Of course to do this, I need to ensure that the leaves are dry when I bring them in. With all the rain we've been having, I'm not sure this will be possible.
26/10/11
The Moon is now in Scorpio. This is a sign of renewal. Although it feels like everything is dying, I'm planning for next year. There wasn't any time for gardening so I'm looking through the catalogues getting ready to order garlic and onions.
25/10/11
Autumn is the time in which we lay the groundwork for next year. With the Moon in Libra, it's a good time to collect next year's flower seeds. As it's a Waning Moon, you might want to divide your herbacious perennials so as to increase your stock next year. This is the ideal day to do it as the Waning Moon will promote good root growth. Plan now for next year's beauty!
24/10/11
It's been a while since I've had the time to write this blog. A couple of weeks ago I was doing an intense hypnotherapy course which meant that there was no time for gardening. Wonderful as my course was, I missed my allotment!!
Last week was spent bringing in the last of the harvest. Anything that was prone to frost came in as there were a few very cold nights. So it was that I picked the last of my runner beans, French beans and borlotti beans. The courgettes came in too. Although I did leave an undersized one which not only has survived the cold nights but is growing well!
There have been a few surprises but none greater than the fact that I'm still picking strawberries and raspberries.
The aubergines in the Greenhouse are thriving with fruit developing well. However, the two that are on the allotment were beginning to show signs of stress. I dug them up and put them in the greenhouse. I think I may have been too late but time will tell.
Other harvests were the green peppers and my first ever bunch of grapes!!!! Delicious.
More potatoes were harvested and I've been drying basil for the winter. the last of the apples were picked and tomatoes were also brought in. The green ones are ripening on a widow sill. It feels like I'm ready for winter. This is a new feeling for me but brought on by ritual of the harves and the laying in of stores. A very new feeling and a very enjoyable one!
7/10/11
The Moon was still in Aquarius. I decided to collect seed from my Cornflowers and found that they had already self seeded. Little seedlings cropping up all around their bed. Job done!!!
6/10/11
The Moon is in Aquarius today. Aquarius is not a great day for gardening so it's a time to enjoy the garden. On the other hand, it might be time to tidy things up a little.
You might enjoy a little video clip that was taken on Tuesday when the Moon was still in Capricorn. Click on the link and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/user/lifeastrologer?feature=mhee
4/10/11
With the Moon in Capricorn, the emphasis has been on roots. I harvested more potatoes, some of which are massive.
I've also been checking the turnips and oriental radishes that I planted last month. The problem is that they look so similar that I'm finding it difficult to determine which are which!
2/10/11
The Moon is still in Sagittarius and today I continued my focus on fruit. The recent heat has stimulated my courgettes into very fast growth. Today I harvested one that was more like a marrow. A couple of days ago it was much smaller!
I'm looking at everything and thinking that I had better start winding things down before the frosts come. I find it hard to believe that we're not in for a shock, given the current summer weather. So I'm planning to harvest all the peppers and the runner beans this coming week. The peppers can ripen on the window sill. The beans I plan to blanche and then freeze. It feels nice to be storing for the harder times to come.
1/10/11
The Moon is now in Sagittarius. This is a fruit day. I haven't been on the allotment today but did get to enjoy yesterday's harvest- a punnet of strawberries- in October? Delicious but confusing!!! Still- I'm not complaining!
30/09/11
Moon in Scorpio is meant to be a good Moon for dealing with Pests. As you have read, time and again I've written about my losing battle with slugs and snails. Every gardener I know has complained about their over-abundance this year. This of course has been due to the wet and cool summer. Now, we're enjoying a hot dry spell, we have a reprieve. Actually I'm looking at becoming more efficient in weed control next year so that they have less places to hide. Using clear plastic bottles with their bottoms cut off as miniature greenhouses has also been effective.
So next year there are a variety of plans which mean that whatever the weather, life won't be so easy for the ravenous molluscs!
29/09/11
I think it was some time in mid-August when I last watered the allotment. The heat in the last couple of days has changed everything. With the Moon in Scorpio, my thoughts turned to water and a good soak was delivered. I had even put my hosepipe away in the back of the shed. What a lovely surprise! My grapes may well be edible soon!
28/09/11
The Moon is in Libra today and the sun is shining. It feels like summer and yet it's autumn and time to be planning for spring.
A Waxing Moon in Libra is just right for planting flowers and at this time of year that means daffodils and hyacinths.
I'm also going to be sowing some annual seeds. It stands to reason that these could be sown now if we consider that annuals will be shedding their seed now to germinate in the spring. This is what happened to my pot marigold, borage and chamomile. This year's wonderful crop were self seeded.
So I'm taking a leaf out of nature's book and sowing some now and some in spring. Those going in now will mean an earlier display. The wonderful thing about gardening is that I'm always looking forward to something in the future!
17/09/11
The Moon has been in Cancer today. I finally planted my leeks. They are late but as they are winter hardy, I'm looking forward to harvesting them in the spring. I find this to be the perfect time for them as by the spring, I have run out of onions. Leek and chicken pie- yum!
16/09/11
Today the Moon is in Taurus. My thoughts have turned to earthy matters. I'll be harvesting more potatoes, checking on the turnips and radishes I planted last month and starting a new compost heap. Well this is very necessary as I now have to stand on my tippy toes to reach the top which is above my head!
15/09/11
The Moon has still been in Aries through the day and I would normally have been feeding my fruit. But, things are beginning to wind down now. The only fruit trees that I'm still feeding are the olive and the fig tree. Tomatoes have blight due to the lack of sun and excess rain. I've been picking the unaffected fruit and some are ripening on the window sill.
There are some last vestiges of summer as I'm still picking strawberries and raspberries. The beans are going strong too and there is that feeling of abundance we get just as we approach the end of summer.
My breakfasts are changing, and reflecting the end of the season too. Gone are the bowls of yoghurt with blackcurrant, strawberry or gooseberry sauce. Instead it's porridge with apples and cinnamon. Actually with the colder mornings, this is very welcome and soothing.
14/09/11
Raspberries can be tricky to prune. But there is a simple rule. Summer fruiting raspberries fruit on the previous year's growth so they're best left at the moment or you'll lose next year's fruit.
Autumn fruiting raspberries fruit on the current year's growth. Mine are still fruiting so I'm leaving them for the time being. If they've finished when the Moon goes into Leo, I'll prune them then. Otherwise I'll wait for the waning Moon next month.
It's nice to be picking strawberries and raspberries in September, but the real stars of the month are the apples. They are making delicious apples tarts!!!
07/09/11
The Moon is in Capricorn so I'm turning my attention to potatoes today. There is a great crop ready to be harvested and I'm just about to head out.
My thoughts have also been on Composting. As a Biodynamic gardener, I'm supposed to make a special preparation and put it in a cow's horn to then bury it. So it was that last week, when the Moon was in another earth sign, Virgo, I found myself at a farm shop asking them whether their cattle had horns. After quizzical looks, I explained my dilemma. They would look around they said and let me know. Sadly, my hunt continues. Biodynamic gardening has turned into quite an adventure.
3/09/11
It was wonderful to have a couple of days of sunshine, but it's a pity it didn't last longer! Friday's heat was so welcome that my pumpkins actually started to change colour and ripen for the first time. Sadly the burst of heat was short lived and the rain is back!!! I'm actually planning to be up before 7 tomorrow, on my day off so that I can have some time gardening before the rain! I'm getting a bit desperate. I miss it when I can't get out there!
Today the Moon is in Sagittarius as I've been working I haven't been able to do much, and anyway it was raining. It was still a fruit day as I made an apple tart for my students with apples harvested yesterday. One of my students brought me a bag of apples from her tree and some apple chutney! It may not feel like summer but it still feels like a time of great abundance!
2/09/11
The Moon is now in Scorpio and the Sun is shining. I'm looking forward to a little time on the allotment- well about half an hour. This is enough time to take some cuttings from mint and peppermint. I'll also be feeding my Japanese Laurel. It's very large and in a container in the garden. Of late it's leaves have been losing their vivid green colour. It's been looking a bit anaemic, so to speak. So it's lacking in something, probably iron. The same feed that I use for the Camellia and Magnolia should help.
1/09/11
The Moon was still in Libra this afternoon. I picked some chamomile flowers, blended them together with oatmeal and put the mixture in a muslin bag. This is ideal for putting in the bath but I like to use it to wash my face.
Borage flowers were also picked. These are painted with an Arabic powder and Rose Water paste to be crystallised and used for cake decorations.
As it's a Waxing Moon, I also sowed some Hollyhocks and Foxgloves. It was lovely to do so in warm sunshine for a change!
31/08/11
The Moon is in Libra today. Libra is an air sign and air signs are linked with flowers, so today is a flower day. I didn't deadhead my lilies earlier in the season and so they are producing seed. This isn't ideal as it means that energy has gone into seed production rather than into the bulbs for next year's flowers. However, there is a silver lining. I'm going to harvest the seed to sow. It will take a few years to produce a bulb large enough to flower but I'll enjoy trying.
Other seeds ripe for collection are those of my foxgloves and my hollyhocks. I'm going to sow some on the allotment to ensure that there's a good supply of pollen for bees.
On another note, I'm also going to plant a honeysuckle against my shed. It too will feed the bees, and provide me with wonderful scent when I'm working. It makes me look forward to next year already!
28/08/11
Rain and work have continued to keep me away from the allotment but with the Moon in Leo, it's been about feeding my fruit. So tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, olives and figs have had some attention in between showers, doing a radio show and teaching today! I think I'll put my feet up now!
26/08/11
Rain and work have kept me from the allotment for the last few days. I miss it!!!!
In the meantime, I've been dealing with some of the harvest. My bramley apples are enourmous. Last week I made apple sauce. This week I'm making mincemeat for the mince pies and Christmas pudding which will be made later in the autumn. It's all very exciting!
22/08/11
The Moon is now in Gemini. This is a flower day, so my attention turned to my Magnolia and Camellia. These are very large and growing in containers. Consequently, they need special care. Manolias and Camellias develop their flower buds during August so it's important that they are fed and kept well watered during this period. They need acid soil so you need to ensure that what you feed is appropriate for them.
I also collected some marigolds to add to the gel from my aloe vera plant. Together with a few drops of lavender oil, I now have a gel in the freezer to help with burns.
21/08/11
With the Moon still in Taurus, I continued to focus on root vegetables. This time I planted turnips, an oriental radish variety as well as more beetroot and carrots. I also sowed some more spring onion seeds. It's nice to still be sowing seeds at this time of year.
20/08/11
The Moon has been in Taurus today. Being an Earth sign, Taurus meant that it was time to deal with root vegetables. I planted more parsnips (very late due slugs devouring previous plantings), beetroot, carrots, celeriac and spring onions.
I also harvested the first lot of onions. They are massive! I think there will be caramelised onion tarts and French Onion soups in the coming months!
19/08/11
With the Moon still in Aries this morning, I continued to focus on fruit. I fed the tomatoes, figs, olives, cucumbers and aubergines.
On the subject of tomatoes, at the RHS Wisley gardens this afternoon, I noticed that their tomatoes were just beginning to ripen. It just goes to show what poor light levels we've had.
Happily though, this morning was delightfully sunny so I started to work on my tomatoes to ensure that they got as much exposure to the sun as possible. To do this, I removed all leaves that were stopping them from getting the sun. This is a job I normally do towards the end of September when I want them to ripen before the frosts. Removing the leaves at this point doesn't worry me as I want the focus to shift from growth to ripening. With any luck this and a bit of sunshine should do the trick.
18/08/11
I love this time of year. Abundance is everywhere! The Moon has been in Aries today, so my attention was on fruit. My strawberries are threatening to take over my plot so I've been lifting runners and giving them to fellow allotment holders. A few of them will have strawberries descended from mine next year. In fact one of them got so many plants from me that she's going to share them with her daughter.
If you like strawberries and have a little space for them, now is a great time of year to buy a few or ask a friend who has some to give you some runners. Runners are the way in which strawberries propagate themselves. They throw out what looks like a chord with baby strawberry plants on it. When these touch the soil, they form roots. You can then cut the chord and you have a new plant. It's a very easy way to propagate strawberries and at this time of year they are very busy multiplying. That's why it's a good time to start now for delicious sensations next year!
Tomatoes though seem to be slow to ripen this year. Low light levels are to blame. We've been getting a mix of sun and cloud everyday but they really need a few days of clear skies and sunshine!!!
Blackberries are in abundance now. Today I made blackberry jam. If you have access to blackberries, enjoy them now. You know they are at their sweetest when you can pick them easily. If you pull and there is resistance, they are not yet fully ripe. Enjoy!10/08/11
I'm so grateful for my allotment! In the last few days with tensions running so high, I've taken refuge there. Whatever happens outside, nature just goes on oblivious to our madness.
Today with the Moon in Capricorn, I turned to look at my root vegetables. Happily my shallots are ready to be lifted. It's harvest time!
09/08/11
My strawberries are flowering again! A second, albeit lesser crop is coming. I can't believe my luck! They too deserved a feed.
Finally the bramble bush, which I left on site because the thought of free blackberries was too appealing, was beginning to get out of control. Although pruning is normally done on a waning Moon, this could easily become an uncontrollable thug so I pruned it today in the hope of reducing its vigour. The fruit has been worth it!
08/08/11
The Moon is in Sagittarius. My attention was turned to fruit. The tomatoes have been fed, as have the olives.
The currant bushes fruited well this year and needed a little attention. I weeded around them and applied a dressing of compost. It was a very satisfying thing to do a way of saying a big thank-you. Thanks to them, my breakfasts continue to be delicious!
6/08/11
With the Moon still in Scorpio, I have been watering and feeding my houseplants.
I also spent some time looking after my cabbages. I have yet to net them, so they have had little protection from pigeons and cabbage white butterflies. I covered them with plastic bottles just to protect them until I have time to create a netted cage around them.
Weeding around the lettuces and spinach beet has revealed that they are in great shape and that I'll soon be having great salads and stir fries.
I love the way a little heat has brought everything on. I was away for four days and returned to growth that might have been expected after two weeks!
Dinner includes courgettes, peas and mangetout- yum!!!!
5/08/11
The Moon is now in Scorpio. Scorpio being a water sign, it's a day for dealing with leaf vegetables. Actually, I decided to have a look at the comfrey concoction that I made a few weeks ago. To say that it stinks is a gross understatement! I'm so glad that I openedthe bucket in the open air instead of in the shed!!!!
I diluted it about half the watering can to half water and proceeded to feed leaf vegetables and herbs. If the smell is indicative of the good it will do them, they should thrive!!!
I then cut back the comfrey once again and used its leaves to make another batch.
It's my first time doing all of this. It's an exciting experiement.
2/08/11
With the Moon in Virgo, I've turned my attention to roots- actually my potatoes. I got an early harvest from a few last week. I wasn't expecting any for another month. But I noticed while watering the other day that some potatoes were peeking up above the soil. This is not good news as when exposed to light, they go green which is poisonous. Also I noticed that they are producing seed. Interestingly, last year this didn't happen. Looking back, I remember accidently cutting back the flowers- no flowers, no seed. The seeds look very much like tomatoes, as they are from the same family. Seeds are not good news as the plant will then put all its energy into producing seed instead of continuing to grow and producing tubers (potatoes). I removed them and then earthed up the visible potatoes. One of my very experienced allotment neighbours reassured me that if I did that now, they'd still be ok. She also said that even if the tops go green, I could remove the green part and enjoy the rest safely. Hurray!
31/07/11
It's been a hot day and it was wonderful to be outdoors. Leo Moons are a good time to do some weeding. In fact the idea is that if you're clearing land, you do so when the Moon is in Capricorn to start, then you do it again when the Moon is in Leo. The idea is that between the Moon in Capricorn and the Moon in Leo, seeds will have germinated. Then you clear it again and more will germinate in time to clear a third time when the Moon is in Capricorn.
Sadly for me, due to the fact that it's my second year on an allotment that had been abandoned for three years, weeding happens on a daily basis.
Having spent all summer last year clearing brambles, bindweed and couch grass, this year I've been dealing with the weeds that were dormant on the plot. I think it's reducing in the more established parts of the plot so there is hope! In the meantime my compost heap is more like a hill!
30/07/11
The Moon is in Leo, whilst still Waning, I decided to cut back some of the foliage of my tomatoes. I also tied back some floppy branches. I now smell of tomatoes. Thankfully this is a smell I really like.
I also fed other fruit like figs and the olives. It's worth feeding the olives, I know that I get better results when I have done so in the past. As for the figs, I'm helping them to swell to a bigger size before they ripen.
I can't quite believe that I'm going to enjoy a second crop of figs this year without even leaving the UK! As for the olives, they're a bonus.
29/07/11
It's been a while since my last blog, but I have continued to work on my allotment. Yesterday with the Moon in Cancer, I sowed some chickory seeds and planted more spinach beet, swiss chard, lettuce and radiccio. The battle with slugs continues. I have been bringing young plants in at night and forgot. Having been up late, I found myself at one in the morning remembering that plants hadn't been brought in. Half not believing what I was doing, I found myself getting up to bring them in from the garden. Just as well, I found three snails munching through my parsnips and five on their way to young carrots! As this is my last chance to have these this year, I think it was worth getting out of bed. Two lost parsnips, minimal losses. Success! Mind you I think I'll be better at remembering to bring them in, in future.
20/07/11
Rain, rain and more rain. Remember doing a rain dance? Well I think it's time we did a sun dance!!!
Today Iraced to do some planting while the Moon was still in Pisces. This means that I was planting in the rain. I was wearing a rain coat and surprisingly enjoyed the experience as the rain was quite soft. What I didn't enjoy was the slugs, which believe that the plot is theirs in this weather. Well a few of them met their maker this afternoon. They were making their way to my courgettes, an offense payable by death!
I planted cabbages, swiss chard, spinach beat and celery. I hope they survive the night!
19/07/11
The Moon is in Pisces and Waning. So this afternoon was spent dodging showers and pricking out lettuce, chervil, coriander, spinach beet and swiss chard, radicchio. I'm so delighted that my coriander has actually survived the slugs. It's only because I have taken to covering it at night. I'll continue to do so for a bit longer. I want it to get bigger before planting it. Still at last there is hope!
15/07/11
The Moon in Capricorn is now Waning so it's a good time to sow more carrots, beetroot and radishes. I'm also sowing some turnips.
The fight with the slugs is continuing and to avoid further losses of celeriac and parsnips I've been sowing in seed trays and waiting for the plants to be big enough to plant in the allotment. So today I'm pricking out last month's sowings. It's time consuming but at least it helps. In fact, I've resorted to bringing seedtrays in at night!
With the Moon in the Earth sign of Virgo, yesterday and today, the focus has been on compost. As you might imagine transforming my plot from a wilderness into a well tended garden has created large compost heaps. In fact there were four. One of them is so high that it's at eye level and looks very much like a wall! Thankfully, it has already begun to shrink. I was beginning to worry that it would collapse in the high winds and rain that we had in June.
The oldest of the heaps is about 7 months old and is taking up space which is very much needed for the planting of purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflower that I'm planning when the Moon goes into Libra. Happily, it has shrunk and most of the matter has decomposed. So yesterday I began the process of removing any uncomposted material to add to the other heaps for further composting. I then began to dig the new compost into the area. It's quite a job as it covers about 2 square metres but very satisfying. Today I plan to finish the job. The bonus yesterday was finding a tiny brown lizard. In the UK, I've only ever seen these on TV. I gently carried him to the other compost heap and hope that he's busy devouring slugs!!!!
3/07/11
The soft fruit is all in. Jam, jellies, tonics, and sauces have been made. Good job I had some time off this last week. The Waning Moon was just what I needed. I'm still harvesting some strawberries but with less regularity. What a bonus. To come are the blackberries. I left a bramble to grow on the edge of my plot so as to keep the delicious fruit, although of course I know for its sweetness, it's actually a thug with world domination as its aim. So I have to keep it in check and then enjoy the fruit.
The Moon is in Leo and it's Waxing now. So it's time to feed fruit like tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes, pumpkins and squashes. Beans and peas could use a boost too. Liquid seaweed or if you're close enough to collect seaweed, you can put it on your beds. Ideally you would have done that earlier in the season though. So liquid feeds are best at this time.
I think I'll sow some more French Beans that will extend the season.
1/07/11
My gooseberries were wonderful and have been turned into a sauce which will be used to flavour cakes and desserts.
However wonderful the gooseberry harvest was though, it pales into insignificance compared to the redcurrant harvest of today! My redcurrant bush was dripping with fruit and the bowl I brought for harvesting was really nowhere near enough. I ended up filling a shopping bag as well! Redcurrant jelly next!
The Moon is now waxing so the shift will be to fruit and flowers for the next couple of weeks.
30/06/11
Today's harvest was gooseberries. I have probably left them on the bush a bit longer than I should but I've been so busy with the strawberries that everything else had to wait. Actually, I found that I prefer them a little riper. They taste sweeter like a cross between a melon and a grape.
I've been making the most of the remaining hours of the Waning Moon to make my preserves. So today, it was gooseberry sauce and tomorrow it will be gooseberry jam. The sauce can again be used with yoghurt and desserts as well as being frozen.
This is such an improvement on last year when I had four gooseberries and two of them were had by the pigeons!
27/06/11
It's been a very hot day, so I found myself watering everything very thoroughly again today. Rain had been expected but it didn't arrive and with young seedlings, and the heat, I didn't want to risk waiting to see if rain would arrive tonight.
I thought about pricking out some carrot and fennel seedlings but decided to wait for the Moon in Capricorn as they still look quite young. You may wonder why I haven't just sown the seed straight into the ground, but I haven't yet had much success with this due to the large slug population so the tried and trusted method is preferred.
The strawberries are slowing down now, but along with raspberries, there's still enough for breakfast. Today the triumph was the blackcurrants though. I harvested enough to make plenty of blackcurrant tonic. As blackcurrants are rich in Vitamin C, I freeze some of this tonic to have in winter and the smallest sign of colds. The rest is enjoyed through the summer with yoghurt for breakfast. My mouth is already watering!
26/06/11
Jupiter is a planet of abundance and today the Moon has been very close to it. After teaching, I went over to the allotment and was given more squashes and courgettes by a friend. I gave her some strawberry runners and salsify. It certainly felt abundant.
I also planted salsify and some more red onions, which are late and I don't expect to harves before next spring. I wonder if they'll grow extra large having been planted on a Moon Jupiter Conjunction!
25/06/11
In preparation for the Moon in Taurus tomorrow, and the planting of a new bed, my partner kindly got me some more compost from the recycling centre. 9 very heavy bags of "the good stuff" as one of my fellow allotment holders called it. And good stuff it is- soft crumbly and a rich dark colour for salsify, carrots, parsnips and other rooty delights.
In order to put this on the plot, I went to the centre of the allotment where wheelbarrows are kept and shared. It was an opportunity to admire everyone's plots which look wonderful! After putting the wheelbarrow away, I stopped to have a chat with the proud holders of a plot which is without a doubt the prettiest and best kept on the whole site. In fact it wins awards every year. She came and visited my site and I proudly showed her a cleared plot. She was so excited for me as she remembered a wilderness! This reminded me of how far I've come. The bonus came when we were chatting about the season, and I told her about the loss of my pumpkins and squashes to the onslaught of slugs and snails. Replacements were promptly and generously offered as she said she had too many. This is the other reason why I love being on my allotment. It's one of the few places where we still find community spirit. Yesterday I gave strawberry runners to someone else.
Happily all of this exchanging of fruit happened on a Fire Moon.
23/06/11
The Moon has been in Aries today, but as it's waning, this is a quiet time in the garden. So time was spent tidying up and enjoying what's there. I noticed my cucumbers are doing well and look forward to my first salad with them.
22/06/11
The Moon is still in Pisces and it was so wet earlier that a fish might have had a good time! Nevertheless, I did manage to get out into the garden to plant some Basil and a Lemon Verbena.
The slugs and snails are thriving in this wet weather and of course they regard my plantings as their personal supermarket! So I sowed more lettuce, swiss chard, spinach beet, radiccio and - coriander! This time I've put them somewhere safe- indoors and here they will remain until they are big enough to contend with molluscs!
21/06/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH9yOiMnVoA
The Moon has been in Pisces today. It is still waning so it was a good day to cut back my comfrey and to make comfrey soup. This is for the benefit of my plants not my dinner. I filled a bucket with comfrey leaves and then filled it with water. I then covered it. I will leave it for a while and then when it is suitably stinky, it will provide a very nutritious feed for my plants. I think my strawberries will be the first to be fed. They will be weaker having produced so much fruit. I'll also provide some for my cherry tree for the same reason.
This year's cherry harvest has been very limited compared to last year. I think that it may be that when it was in blossom we had some very bad windy and wet weather, so it's possible that there weren't as many insects around to pollinate fully.
Still on the subject of fruit, I had my first figs today! They were like honey and for a few moments, I was on holiday in Spain! I only have two more left ripening on the tree. This is only the first year, but what a great sign of things to come.
Being a Water Moon, and therefore a leaf day, I also planted some rhubarb, oregano and coriander today. This is my third attempt at coriander this year, the slugs have had every plant so far. This one is bigger so I think I'm in with a chance. Fingers crossed once again.
20/06/11
The Moon is Waning once again. Waning Moons are good for harvesting and preserving. At the moment, I'm harvesting soft fruit. The abundance of strawberries means that there is enough to make strawberry jam. I'm also planning to make a strawberry sauce that I could freeze and then use to flavour yoghurts, ice cream, cakes, etc.
Blackcurrants will be turned into a tonic and jam. Redcurrants will be turned into a jelly and I'm still thinking about what to do with the whitecurrants and the gooseberries.
It's going to be a busy few days. But the Moon in Aquarius which is not a great Moon for any gardening, has allowed me the time to plan the next few days to deal with surplus fruit.
15/06/11
It's been a very busy few days. On Monday, my day off, not much time was given to rest. In fact I spent 7 hours in total clearing the rest of my allotment. I was completely shattered but the efforts were very worthwhile as I can now just enjoy gardening without having to clear and dig! It's been a long time coming and the final push took a lot of determination but I wanted to be free!
The final push also meant that yesterday I was able to make use of the Moon in a Waxing Fire sign (Sagittarius) and finish planting all fruit. So my beans and two more varieties of squashes went in. I also sowed another variety of peas.
There has been a big shift with the quality of my strawberries. The recent wet weather has made them more prone to rot and I have had to remove many. The other difference is that during the sunny weather, I could smell them while I was working on the allotment. Also when there were bowls in the fridge and the fridge was opened, you were hit by the smell of strawberries. This is no longer the case and this means that they're no longer as sweet as they were. Yesterday, with the sunny weather, the old fragrance was back and so was the smell!
Happily the harvest has been very generous and although the weather has made a difference, the flavour is still good and I am very spoiled. Strawberries for breakfast every morning and today there were raspberries too!! Heaven!
10/06/11
The Moon has been in Libra today so the focus has been on flowers and flowering vegetables. I've planted broccoli, more Aquilegias, Statice and Pinks. I've also pricked out Sunflowers, and the few Larkspur and Nicotiana seedlings left by the slugs!
This year the focus has been on getting the allotments in order whilst planting. This is nearly done. The next project is going to focus on soil and SLUG CONTROL!!!!
8/06/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THc09ibCQf0
Virgo is a very forgiving sign in the garden. The sign associated with harvest, it is very helpful for biodymanic gardeners. So when the Moon is in Virgo, we can do things that we haven't had the chance to do because of very busy lives. So it was that despite the fact that the Moon is Waxing and root vegetables are best planted on Waning Moons, I planted some forgotten red onion sets. They are very late but I figure that the worst that can happen is that I'll have some early onions next year.
I also sowed some parsnip and celeriac seeds. They are late but previous attention from slugs and snails have left me with one parsnip plant! I think I might just be in time. Again, I'm thinking the harvest for both will just be delayed and as the packet of seeds' viability was only guaranteed for this year, I had nothing to lose.
7/06/11
Yesterday, my day off, was exceptionally busy! The calendar will give a clue as to the reason for this burst of activity. A waxing Moon in a fire sign means it's a planting day. So I potted my cucumbers on. They are doing really well with baby cucumbers already visible. I have a plastic mini greenhouse which my partner has screwed to the back of my shed to stop it blowing away. It has been full of seedlings. I've decided to keep growing my cucumbers in it, as they seem to do so well there. So I've now got them in big pots and as I clear it from other plants, they will have a dedicated space. I did plant one outdoors though just to see how it does.
Next, I saw to the tomatoes. These are easily grown in containers. Growing them on the allotment made them prone to blight. My garden is small, but it is walled. I have never had blight there and have managed to pick tomatoes in November due to the shelter from the walls. So this year, I've decided to grow them in large containers in the garden again. It means that watering and feeding is crucial, but it also makes for a longer growing season so it's well worth the effort!
Sweet corn, courgettes and peppers were planted on the allotment. As for aubergines, I was undecided. Last year they didn't do very well on the allotment but that may be because they were growing next to some large cape gooseberries which meant that there was hardly any light available for them. So I decided to plant half in the green house with the cucumbers and the other half out on the allotment. I say half, it sounds like large numbers but actually there were only four plants!
Cape gooseberries/ Physallis, did very well last year. That is they grew into sizeable bushes and did flower but never actually set fruit. I think they need a longer growing season. So I planted a few in pots also in the mini green house. I had some left over and put them on the allotment again, just in case we get an Indian Summer. That's it for the mini greenhouse! It's now very full again!
I am still off today, thankfully as I have pumpkins and more peas to put in. Also there are beans and squashes that need pricking out. I'd better get started.
4/06/11
Yesterday morning the Moon went into the sign of Cancer and it will remain ther until around 4pm tomorrow. This means that it's in a water sign on a Waxing Moon. This is not the best time for planting leaf vegetables or herbs, so rather than spend time gardening, I went to the RHS gardens at Wisley. These are simply wonderful and there are few pleasures that compare to walking barefoot on a cool lawn, on a hot summer's day! The lawned path along the avenue with herbacious borders on either side, gives you the opportunity to do just that.
Then there is the rose garden which at this time of year is filled with scent. I drank the scent of some roses and then decided that it was time to head home. Not without visiting the shop first, of course! I can never leave without a new addition for the garden. Yesterday it was rhubarb, oregano as mine died in the hard winter, and some coriander as slugs keep eating my seedlings. I also bought one of my favourite herbs of all time- lemon verbena. Look out for it, the smell is simply delicious.
I will now wait for the Waning Moon in Pisces to plant my new treasures.
In the meantime, today was spent preparing yet another bead for the all the planting that I'll be doing with the Moon in Leo. That's coming tomorrow afternoon. I think I'm just ready!
2/06/11
The Moon is now Waxing and today it has been in the sign of Gemini. As this is an Air sign, it was a day for flowers. So I planted some Aquilegias, also known as Columbines. I sowed these seeds last year and they're now ready to plant in a border. I've planted them in a nursery bed on the allotment with a view to have some to cut and bring indoors, but also to then find room for them in the front garden. Plants benefit from being in a nursery bed for a while as they have less competition than in border with lots of grown up and competing plants.
I had planned to plant cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli today but the recycling centre was out of compost and the clay soil on a newly dug bed is just too harsh for young seedlings. I'll wait for the compost to come in and then plant them next week when the Moon goes into Libra. That's the great thing about biodynamics, there's usually another day!
1/06/11
Today was a quiet day in gardening terms. The Moon was still Waning in an Air Moon. Air Moons are flower days but as the Moon was waning, I decided to wait for tomorrow to start planting. Flowers need a Waxing Moon which is what we'll have tomorrow. In the meantime, I prepared a bed to plant the cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli tomorrow.
Of course, I also picked strawberries. Heaven!!!
31/05/11
Carrots and parsnips like soft, friable soil; soil that they can grow through without much resistance. Otherwise they develop into odd, contorted shapes. Last year, my priority was to tame the wilderness that was my allotment and plant it. Time was not on my side as digging down a meter in some places is slow, gruelling work. This meant that my attempts to improve my sticky, clay soil were limited. In fact, I did mix in compost that my partner got from the local recycling centre but as you can appreciate, with 125sq metres, I had to make it stretch a little. This meant that my parsnips in particular looked like something out of a parsnip horror movie!
Like a parent unwilling to give up on her unpromising child, I defended my misshapen parsnips on the grounds that looks don’t matter and that nobody would know what they looked like, once they’d been cut. Indeed this was the case, and they were absolutely delicious. Sweet and creamy beyond any parsnips I’ve had anywhere else. However, there was a fly in the ointment. Vegetables don’t come clean and prepared from the plot. In winter, root vegetables are muddy, especially if grown in clay! And so it was that each parsnip, due to its many contortions took twenty minutes to wash in the garden, be scrubbed in the kitchen and then finally cut, with all the little crevices cleaned. Having always loved parsnips, I planted many- so you can imagine how much time they took to prepare! Everyone who ate them, loved them, but no one knew what a labour of love was sitting on their plate!
Having fallen out of love with cleaning parsnips, I determined that this year, things will be different. To this end, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon digging a bed for them. My partner went back to the recycling centre and brought bags of beautiful compost. This morning I planted carrots, parsnips, beetroot and celeriac. I do hope the carrots and parsnips will be straight this time!
29/05/11The Moon went into Taurus this afternoon and it was nice to have unlimited time on my allotment for a change. Being an earth Moon, I spent time earthing up my potatoes. This seemed such a mysterious process when I first did it last year.
Potatoes, that is the tubers that we plant, need to be kept from light. If they peep above the ground, then they are exposed to the light andwill go green. They then become poisonous. So as the leaves start to develop, we need to at least part cover them with earth. It seems counter-intuitive to bury a growing plant, but it it necessary. If you are growing potatoes in containers, this is easy to do. If you are growing them in the ground, it's easier to do it, if you have grown them in rows.
Another windy afternoon, but the sun came out and it was very pleasant indeed.
28/05/11
The Moon is still in Aries. This morning I picked more wonderful strawberries! I think I found heaven!
My apple trees are laden with little apples. Although this appears like a good thing, actually they need thinning out. June is the month when apple trees often shed excess fruit. This enables the tree to concentrate its resources on the remaining fruit, producing bigger apples. If it doesn't shed enough, then next month, while the Moon is still waning in Aries, I'll do some thinning myself.
Cherries often do the same thing. This year's crop looks a little thinner than last year's so I'm hoping the cherries will be bigger!
27/05/11
The Moon is in Aries. That means that this is a fruit day. But planting my beans will have to wait as it's a Waning Moon. So it's time to prune and feed. I've noticed a few small branches on my peach which are dead, so they'll be coming off. My cherries are doing well but could use a feed. I've also noticed that my olive tree is in bloom. I'll start to feed it and keep my fingers crossed. I seem to cross my fingers frequently when gardening!
25/05/11
Today the Moon is in Pisces. Being a Waning water Moon means that the focus has been on leafy vegetables. The link between water moons and leaves is due to the fact that the actual body of a plant is largely made up of water. So today I planted cabbages, lettuce, spinach beet, swiss chard, coriander, thyme and chamomile.
Slugs seem to love coriander. They've already decimated my first sowing. This is my second. I do have a third just in case, but it would be really nice if they would leave this batch to me!!!
It is possible to get nemetodes that predate on slugs. I think I'll try to get a hold of some.
24/05/11
Being on holiday is wonderful, but coming home is always a delight for me. This time it was especially so as I returned to ripe strawberries. Picking them in the sunshine was heavenly.
We've had some rain in the South East at the weekend but not enough. Driving into the South East from Wales, I became very aware of how parched everything looks compared to the West. It would be good to get some significant rain before the New Moon. Does anyone know a rain dance?
17/05/11
The Moon is Waning once again. During this period the focus shifts from fruit and flowers to roots and leaf plants. But it is also a good time to prune, and feed. Perhaps pruning could wait until next week when the Moon's cycle will be further from the Full Moon. The ground is more absorbant during a Waning Moon, so this is a good time to water and feed. Rain would now be most welcome!
13/05/11
Virgo is a sign associated with harvest. Yesterday, I picked my first ripe strawberry. I shared it with my partner and it was delicious!!!! If that's a sign of things to come, I will be having a very good strawberry season indeed.
This afternoon the Moon will go into Libra. It's all about flowers, including broccoli. I have larkspur, sunflowers, nicotiana ( a little late for these) and some nigella. Actually self sown Nigella (Love in a Mist) are already in full bloom and looking lovely. I love the old name (Love in a Mist), it's so romantic!
12/05/11
Last year I was too busy taming the jungle that was my overgrown allotment, to have time to attend to things like netting fruit. Consequently I was left with two gooseberries and a handful of redcurrants. Well the jungle is now tame enough for me to attend to details. With today's Moon in Virgo, a sign most associated with detail, I created two fruit cages. This year's crop is mine.
11/05/11
Next week, I'll be unable to attend to any gardening due to a very busy schedule. Thankfully, with the Moon in Virgo there are many jobs which can be done. Virgo is the most useful sign for gardeners. This is a sign of descending energy, so although the Moon is still Waxing, I felt it was good enough to plant the rest of my shallots and onions. Happily the beds alloted for my onions, were already prepared a couple of months ago so there was no battle to be done with couch grass. Just a bit of weeding and they settled in nicely.
Keeping on top of the weeds at this time of year is crucial. My plot was a jungle of brambles, bindweed and couch grass only a year ago. It's hard to believe now, but I'm constantly reminded of this by bindweed and bramble shoots poking out their heads all over. They don't stand a chance!!!
10/05/11
Well I knew the Moon in Leo was going to be busy... I didn't manage to get everything done yesterday so today saw me spend a very long time on my allotment planting peas. This is not a difficult job, albeit fiddly because of having to provide steaks for each plant. However, the beds in which I planted my peas were over-run with one of the many banes of an allotment holder' s life- couch grass. This meant that I had to spend rather a long time digging it out before planting. Happily it's all done and I look forward to a crop- maybe in a month's time.
9/05/11
This is going to be a busy day. Fire moons are good for dealing with fruit and this is a Waxing Moon so good for planting. I'm sowing more peas, beans, squashes and trying out watermelons too. Last year didn't work out for watermelons so my fingers are crossed this year!
I'm also pricking out sweet corn and more tomatoes. Last year I was too late planting sweetcorn to get a good crop so again I'm really hoping things will be different this year. As for my beans, well they're looking like I had Jack's magic bean. If they reach the sky, I hope there isn't a giant up there!
I'm also going to give my fig a new home today. It has outgrown its pot. I meant to do that when the Moon was last in Leo but ran out of time. I need to do the same for my cranberry. So a very busy day ahead! The nice thing is, that if I run out of time, there's also tomorrow!
7/05/11
Watering the garden needs to be carefully judged. Water too much and plants become dependant on water on the surface. They don't develop deep roots which makes them more vulnerable during droughts. So a happy medium is needed. Watering on Waning Water Moons is usually enough if necessary. However, during dry periods, I also water on Waxing Moons. This means that everything is soaked about once a week. However, care is needed with young seedlings like peas and beans which do not yet have developed root systems. These may need watering more frequently if the weather is dry.
So today has been a day for watering the allotment, all container plants, seedlings and house plants. Happily it did rain this morning, but not enough. With any luck we will get some more so all will be well for another week.
6/05/11
It has been one of those days with too much to do in too little time. Pricking out seedlings is an act of real patience as rushing means delicate seedlings are lost. So I had to forget the clock ticking as I pricked out Aquilegias, Cauliflower, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Statice, Pinks, Chamomile, Alyssum, and Borage. An easier job was the planting of Sweet Cicely. I've never grown this before but it is supposed to have lots of useful qualities which I look forward to experimenting with. My Angelica is massive! The winds actually blew it over, but I've staked it now and it is still very statuesque. I didn't get the chance to cut its stems to crystallising but will try to do that when the Moon is Waning in Aquarius as that will be a better time to do it anyway. Sadly the clock's ticking meant that I didn't get to sow any of the seeds I wanted to sow today. But happily the Moon will still be Waxing when it goes into Libra next week. There's usually a second chance for most things.
3/05/11
One of my compost bins has been sitting in the shed for about two months. You may wonder why, but that is because in high winds, it has been taking flight and landing in neighbouring allotments. Today, with the Moon in Taurus, I decided to turn my attention to compost. This meant clearing the patch where it belonged of weeds, and then digging a small circle into which to push it and secure it. The thing is that today is especially windy again and so this proved to be a challenging job. Still it is done and already half full of weeds!!!
I also sowed more parsnips, carrots, salsify, beetroot, celeriac and spring onions. I do hope the slugs leave some parsnips for me this time!
1/05/11
As the Moon is still Waning and in Aries, today I fed the cherry, pear, apple, peach, nectarine and plum trees. The strawberries got a feed too as did the raspberries, the blueberries and cranberries. Any fruit trees or shrubs which are either in blossom or which have flowered and are now forming fruit, now need a feed. There is still a little daylight left, so if you haven't done it yet, there's still time.
30/04/11
The Moon is now in Aries. This is a Fire sign and so there is a link with fruit. However as the Moon is waning, the best job will be pruning. So once again, I noticed that some of my raspberries have dead wood which I pruned out. The new canes are also quite tall now and needed staking. So all in all a quiet day in terms of gardening, but these days are just right for enjoyment!
29/04/11
More seed sowing today. Dill as my first batch succombed to scorching from the Sun in the greenhouse which I forgot to ventilate. Oops! More lettuce, coriander and cabbages. I decided not to prick out the seedlings I planted when the Moon was in Scorpio as they were too small.
I tried to water the allotment today but found that rodents had chewed through my hose pipe! I found it in three pieces!
26/04/11
Today the Moon is in Pisces. First job on the list is to water the garden, the houseplants and the allotment. This is all I have time for today. Tomorrow there will be more seed sowing.
25/04/11
Aquarius, is not a sign for gardening, so usually this is a Moon for enjoying the garden. Today though, I took advantage of the fact that the Moon is waning in an Air Sign. So I deadheaded my bulbs- tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and Irises. But I also did another important job. My fuchsias were hit hard by the winter. They were over ten years old, so I guess they were more vulnerable. In fact I was surprised that they survived the previous winter's harsh spell. I've lost two, and I removed their twiggy remains; but I was very happy to notice new growth coming from the base of the third. So I cut off the dead branches to allow the new life to come through. This is truly what spring is all about!!
24/04/11
Thunderstorms yesterday evening meant that my potatoes had to wait until this morning to be planted. True to Capricorn rather than having a lazy Easter morning in bed, I was planting my potatoes. I also planted more shallots and onions. It was lovely to be in the sunshine doing this. I remember last year, planting onions one afternoon after work, being very cold and looking anxiously at a sky threatening to pour with rain. Today was much more pleasant. And I was rewarded when I got home, with some blossom on my Nectarine tree! It turned out to be the perfect Easter morning!
22/04/11
It was great to be on Jeni Barnett's show on Radio London. Thought it was hilarious to be called a 'fierce Astrologer' and later to be referred to as the 'lunar lady'! Such fun!
Coming home was less fun though as I had to dig over a large area of the allotment again in very hot sun. Still it's all ready for the last of the potatoes which didn't get to go in last time. A Moon in Capricorn is perfect- an Earth Moon for roots and a Waning Moon also good for roots! I ran out of time today but tomorrow the Moon will still be in Capricorn. The hardest part is done. Of course there is another Capricorn link to this and that is that this is the sign most associated with hard work!
21/04/11
Like most people, I've been cooped up indoors all day but am now looking forward to some time on the allotment. Not allot that needs to be done as the Moon is Waning and in Sagittarius. This is not the best time to deal with fruit. But I missed a raspberry bush when I was pruning and it has some dead wood on it, so I'll attend to that today. Then I think I'll net some more of the fruit to keep the birds away. Quiet days in the garden are good days to do little jobs. Then again I might just sit and listen to the birds!
20/04/11
The sun is shining again today. I don't remember an April like this for a very long time. Winter arrived early last year. Frosts in October and snow by the end of November. It feels as though summer has begun very early too. Although last night I dreamt that I'd woken up to snow in July. I still feel my profound shock! Thank God it was a dream. Having said that, it clearly shows my unease over unseasonal weather, even though the sun is shining, with the weirdness of our weather, we could yet see frosts before June!
On a much more cheerful note, the Moon today is in Sagittarius which means that it's a day for focusing on fruit. As it's a Waning Moon though, there isn't much to do. Waning Moons are good for pruning, so if there is any fruit pruning to be done, today and tomorrow are good days for it. I'm going to feed my apples, strawberries, pear, peach and cherry trees. Waning Moons are good for feeding as they ground is more absorbant. One of my students kindly brought some woodash he's collected from his wood burning stove, so I can use that to feed the fruit on the allotment.
I'm now happier about my Nectarine tree too. It's leaves are finally beginning to unfurl. I had begun to grow impatient and a little worried that it might be dead! The peach already has tiny peaches forming and this one has only just begun to wake from its winter slumber. I don't think there will be any nectarines though as there is no blossom. It's only its first year so I'm ok with that. I'm just glad it's alive. The Moon is indeed in Sagittarius, things are looking up!
19/04/11
The Moon is now waning. During this phase, the earth is more absorbant. So I took advantage of the fact that the Moon has been in Scorpio today and watered the Allotment. Spring has been very dry here and the ground is hard. So I've watered again today. I won't be watering again until next week. If it rains, I won't need to.
Lots of seed was sown, coriander, dill and other herbs as well as cabbage. I'll need to keep the slugs off. They seem to love cabbage and coriander! So I've got them covered with mini cloches.
18/04/11
A beautiful day today but there is a price to pay for this glorious spring we've been enjoying. The ground is very hard and so today for the first time, I've watered the garden and allotment. The deluge will undoubtedly be with us soon- probably just in time for my birthday!
16/04/11
I had planned to plant my honeysuckle today but ran out of time. The good thing is that tomorrow the Moon will still be Waxing in Libra, so if like me you didn't get the chance to work in the garden, there's always tomorrow.
A waxing Moon in Libra is perfect for sowing flower seeds, pricking out flower seedlings and planting flowers. Remember that this includes flowering vegetables too.
This is something to look forward to tomorrow.
15/04/11
If you've finished all your jobs for the Moon in Virgo, yesterday, today is a day to enjoy the garden. Although, Virgo being a working sign, I'm sure you'll find something that needs doing.
14/01/11
The Moon has gone into Virgo today. It is waxing so it's not an ideal time for dealing with your root vegetables. But Virgo is a forgiving Moon for gardeners. All manner of jobs work out well during this Moon, so I'm chancing putting in my potatoes, onions and shallots. The latter were started off in trays and just need to be put into the ground. This way they are big enough to resist the attention of the pigeon population. The potatoes are more than ready to go in, having been chitted and I really don't think they could wait for the Waning Moon in Capricorn. So in they will go, with my fingers firmly crossed.
13/01/11
More fruit went in today. I sowed courgettes, french, borlotti and runner beans as well as pumpkins and cobnut squash. These are all indoors of course as it's still too cold at night for them to be out. If you've missed this chance, don't worry, there is still plenty of time as you can sow the seeds in May. By then even the beans can be sown outdoors. Just look out for the next Moon in Leo, as it will be waxing in fire.
The apple blossom is exquisite. The cherry and pear have finished so now they need feeding as they are in containers. The peach is still indoors and that needed a feed too. you can already see the little peaches forming on it. I just cant wait!!!
12/04/11
A busy gardening day today. This is a Waxing Moon in Leo. So perfect for dealing with all fruit matters. Broadbeans are to be planted. They're looking big and healthy so should be able to cope with attention from the slug population.
Tomatoes, sweet pepper and okra, pea seedlings are looking big enough to be pricked out.
I'll be sowing more tomato seeds along with more peas.
I also have a fig and a cranberry that need to be potted on.
So much to do that I'd better get started. I'm glad it's sunny.
11/04/11
Today is a good day to enjoy the garden. Water Moons are foliage days which means leaf vegetables like lettuce and herbs but it's a waxing Moon, so there is not a lot to do. Water your house plants and any container plants in the garden that might be in need. Seedlings in pots could also use a drink.
9/04/11
What do snails prefer parsnips or carrots? During a trial in my garden ( a trial that I did not give consent to) the favourite appears to be parsnips. A seed tray containing half parsnips and half carrots, has all the carrots left and all the parsnips gone!!! They know what they like!
I know what I like too and took advantage of the Moon in Gemini to plant some Lavender and a couple of Japonese Anemones.
7/04/11
Another glorious day!!! This time though the Moon has been in Gemini. As it's a Waxing Moon in an Air sign it's a good day to attend to flowers. The twelve signs also have another property- they are Ascending or Descending in energy. This relates to the time of year. Winter signs, signs related to the time after the winter solstice and before the summer solstice are signs of Ascending energy. Gemini is approaching the Summer Solstice so is considered to have Descending energy. This is useful as it encourages strong root growth. So the Waxing properties of the Moon encourage growth above ground and the Descending energy encourages healthy roots. This made it an ideal day to sow flower seeds. This included purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflower. Although we think of these as vegetables what we eat are the plants flowers. Other sowings included hardy annual- statice and alyssum as well as hardy perennial- dianthus. I can't wait to pick the flowers and have that sweet scent in the house.
6/04/11
What a glorious sunny day!!! The Moon is still in Taurus so it's a good day to tend to the compost. I'll just check to see all is as it should be. Then I'll start to prepare the bed for the potatoes which will go in when the Moon's in Virgo. That will be quite enough for today.
5/04/11
The rain is keeping me off the allotment this morning but there is a little job that needs doing. Ideally, I would have done it when the Moon was last in Capricorn but I missed my chance. I would normally wait for the next time the Moon is waning on an Earth Moon but I'm concerned that I'll be too late. So as the Moon is in Taurus, (an Earth sign), today is the day. I think it will be ok because the aim of chitting is for the potatoes to start developing buds and I think a Waxing Moon may actually speed this up. Given that I'm late, this could be a good thing. Planting will be done at a more ideal time. Fingers crossed it will all be well!
4/04/11
Yesterday was the New Moon so the Moon is now waxing. The rule is that when the Moon is waxing we deal with plants above ground, the exception being leaf vegetables. Waxing Moons encourage fast growth and vigour which is why we deal with leaf vegetables and herbs on a Waning Moon. The prevents them from growing so fast that they bolt (produce flowers too quickly and go to seed).
As the Moon is in Aries and is now Waxing, this is a good day to attend to your fruit. I've noticed that all my current bushes are now flowering and have decided that this will be a good day to net them to prevent bird damage. Last year I was too busy to do this and lost all my blackcurrants to the birds. The annoying thing is that my neighbour's currant bushes were left intact. Mine were obviously tastier!!!
