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
Summer
Roasted lettuce
It is important for gardeners to know when to give up. Trying to grow summer salads in trays or containers in heatwave conditions is almost impossible, and a waste of water. The best salads are grown in the spring and autumn anyway. In the good old days Belgium summers were cool and wet and ideal …Read More about Roasted lettuce
Heat wave gardening
The weather forecast for the next few weeks is very hot with temperatures between 26 and 31 degrees. With little or no rain in sight, these conditions have not been seen since the last major heatwave in Belgium in 1976. This poses serious problems for garden vegetables which may already be entering a state of …Read More about Heat wave gardening
Chilli peppers progress 2018
It has been an interesting year for growing chilli peppers. The early heat from March onwards was ideal for an early start but then a series of cold nights came along which threatened to damage the plants. Young chilli peppers are particularly sensitive to cold nights. With a few “stunted” in their growth, here are …Read More about Chilli peppers progress 2018
Summer gardening 2018
The spring season this year has been a bit of a mess with extreme cold in March and extreme heat in April, continuing into May. These unusual conditions make starting plants from seed and nurturing small plants quite difficult. Cold temperatures at night following hot days can damage young plants. Better to skip over spring …Read More about Summer gardening 2018
Starting summer chillis
With snow forecast for the weekend here, it may seem strange to be talking about growing chilli peppers. However, in the northern hemisphere, it is important to get chilli peppers started early in order to have any chance with the short summers. Between now and mid March is ideal for starting the seeds indoors with …Read More about Starting summer chillis