Sunday, 11 January 2009

Spring in the air? / Du temps printanier?

January often does this - makes me feel as though it's spring when it's too early.  But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.  The sun felt hot today at midday, although the nights are cold and clear with temperatures below freezing.

abricotier   blue sky_1_1

apricot branch and a clear, blue sky

C'est souvent comme ça en janvier - il semble que c'est le printemps, mais c'est trop tôt.  Mais je vais en profiter pendant que le beau temps dure.  Au soleil à midi aujourd'hui il a fait chaud, bien que les nuits soient froides et claires, et les températures au dessous de zéro.

The mangetout peas are growing well and today we put netting up to support them.  / Les pois mangetouts poussent bien et aujourd'hui on a mis une grillage en plastique pour les supporter.

peas and netting_1_1

And we picked a salad to accompany our barbecue in the sun - lettuce, spinach, parsley, sorrel and oregano - so much flavour in the middle of winter!

Et on a ramassé une salade pour accompagner notre grillade au soleil - des feuilles de laitue, épinards, persille, oseille et oreganum - tant de gout en plein hiver!

jan 11 salad_1_1 

Cauliflower problems

Another of our cauliflower plants has produced a tiny cauliflower - has anyone got any ideas about what we've done wrong with them?  Last year they did well.

4 comments:

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

So it seems "Le printemps" is not that far off. You must have a fairly protected garden that you can grow so many different salad leaves and have already planted the snow peas. That is one crop we plant here through winter. I think cauliflower needs a lot of organic fertilizer and water to grow well. It is a greedy vegetable. And preferably no white butterflies!

chaiselongue said...

Thanks Titania. Maybe we didn't put enough organic matter into that plot. We do have lots of white butterflies, but their caterpillars seem to have eaten the cabbages rather than the cauliflowers.

gintoino said...

Same problem with the cauliflowers here. I think I also didn't fertilize enough. I'm sowing some more and this time they will receive lots of sheep and chiken composted manure.

Jan said...

Perhaps my caulis are doing ok then, as I didn't add anything to the soil (although we intend to for this year) and I've never grown them before.

Lunch outside! You lucky things, the most I've managed is a cup of tea outside.