The late bit of sun for October has helped turn the remaining chilli peppers to their end colours. The wet weather after the early summer heat meant none of the plants reached their full potential. This is caused, in part, by the plants sitting in wet soil (even with good drainage). This said, it can …Read More about Finishing chilli peppers
Weather
Plan for drought, prepare for rain
Belgium used to be famous for its wet summers. Not this year. While the real concern affecting farmers is prolonged drought, city gardeners need to plan for the best and the worst of both worlds. It may be a long dry summer or the weather may explode in thunderous rain. Either way being prepared is …Read More about Plan for drought, prepare for rain
Extreme weather warning
This heatwave is not good for people or gardens in Brussels. The Royal Institute of Meteorology in Belgium has expressed concern about the situation (read here). The Belgian Interregional Environment Agency has launched an official warning phase of its ozone and heatwave plan (read here). It is important both people and gardeners pay attention to …Read More about Extreme weather warning
Turn in the weather
According to tradition planting out should only begin when the bluebells have passed. In recent years spring weather has become quite unreliable with late cold spells and heavy rains. This has reduced the window of opportunity for getting many plants started and hardened off before the summer heat starts. The sharp changes in weather of …Read More about Turn in the weather
After the storms
It is official. Last month was the wettest June recorded in Belgium since records began in 1833 (). With 24 days of heavy rain this central month in the gardening season was what gardeners call a wash out. It is possible this author picked the wrong year to start a gardening diary. In an ideal …Read More about After the storms
Birds in spring
Spring time is a very important time for small birds in the garden. Around May birds such as the blue tit are nesting and can have up to a dozen young in the nest. This requires the parent birds to provide large quantities of bugs and caterpillars to feed the young. The torrential rain of …Read More about Birds in spring