This April was the warmest on record in Belgium and authorities are already warning of a heatwave and drought in the summer. With temperatures already high it is difficult to get small plants started in the garden. Plants should be started outdoors in the shade where possible and where possible shade cover should be created …Read More about Preparing for summer
Posts relating to hardening off
Hardening off
All plants require a process of hardening off before being planted out in the garden. Whether bought from a store or started from seed indoors, young plants require to be slowly introduced to the outdoor conditions in which they will be expected to grow on. Store bought plants are better to sit in their pots …Read More about Hardening off
Spring has sprung
Bluebells are a gardener’s indicator that it is time to get planting. In the old days the bluebells would come out slowly over several weeks, now they appear over one week. This about sums up spring these days. In recent years there have been a number of disrupted spring seasons with extreme heat and extreme …Read More about Spring has sprung
May: Summer is coming
Gardener’s often say “spring is late this year.” In olden days this meant the chill of winter had lasted longer. In the last couple of years here this has meant the weather in April and May has been unpredictable with fluctuations in temperature (especially at night) making it difficult to move plants outdoors so they …Read More about May: Summer is coming
Extreme Gardening
Gardening in the recent extreme conditions is not for the faint hearted. While Tuesday (20 March) was the spring equinox, the first day of spring, the Sunday before (18 March), was the coldest 18th March recorded in Belgium since records began in 1901. However, with some simple adaptations crops can be started in these conditions …Read More about Extreme Gardening
Tomato planting time
Time to plant tomatoes outside. It has not been the best of springs for hardening off tomatoes (moving them from indoors to outdoors). Extreme heat during days and cold nights up until early May has meant the plants started from seed were indoors longer than usual. The extreme heat is challenging for young plants. Tomato …Read More about Tomato planting time