Lunar Gardening Calendar - February

February is looming large,  time to work out what I need to be doing and when, in February, in my Puglia Garden. It looks like there is going to be a lot of work in February.

Waxing Moon - 1st to 7th February (Full Moon 7th February) and 22nd to 29th February.
In the Vegetable Patch
Sow -  in heated seed trays (between 1st and 7th) : basil, aubergine/eggplant, peppers, tomatoes.
        - in pots in a heated greenhouse :  courgettes, cucumbers, melons, water-melons
        - in the garden, under glass or plastic : thyme, savory, lavender
        - in the garden (between 22nd and 29th) : swiss chard, carrots, peas, parsley, radishes, mustard, agretto, rocket/arugala
Transplanting and Planting - (between 1st and 7th) : transplant into the open garden onions grown from seed
        - in the garden, under glass or plastic (between 1st and 7th) :  lettuce

In the Garden
Sow - In a heated greenhouse or in the house, in heated seed trays (12-18C) : begonia, carnation, snap-dragons, dahlias, petunia, purslane and other flowering annuals.
        - in pots : violets and wallflowers
        - in the garden : annual climbers, sweet peas, convolvulus
Transplanting and Planting -  trees, shrubs, deciduous climbers, roses, hydrangeas and forsythia
Reproduction -  take cuttings for rooting
        - put up dahlia roots in the greenhouse
        - divide and replant perennials

In the Orchard
Transplanting and Planting - if weather conditions permit, and the ground is not frozen, plant and transplant fruit trees and bushes.


Waning Moon 8th to 20th February (New Moon 21st February)

In the Vegetable Patch
Sow - in heated seed trays : celery,
        - in the garden, under glass or plastic  : lettuce, celery
        - in the open garden : shallots, onions, lettuce, radicchio, spinach, valerian, swiss chard, cabbage
Transplanting and Planting - Plant out in the open : garlic, spring onions, shallots, jerusalem artichokes
Pruning - Thin out herbs to rejuvenate (sage, rosemary etc.)
Work - Prepare beds for the next sowing, transplanting of asparagus
          - Carry out basic fertilisation
          - Pinch out and mulch peas and broad beans sown in the autumn
          - set out seed potatoes in a warm dry place for chitting (encouraging to sprout)
Green Fertiliziation - Sow new spinach, mustard cress
          - Dig in the grown green manure crops

In the Garden
Pruning - Prune and trim trees that flowered in December and January
            - Plant out deciduous woody shrubs
            - Trim back existing deciduous woody shrubs, cutting off any dead or unnecessary branches
            - Trim hedges and evergreens (once the cold weather has ended)
            - Prune roses, poinsettias and hydrangeas
Work   - Prepare and fertilise the ground
            - Dig over areas intended for lawn and flower beds
            - Check stored tubers

In the Orchard
Pruning - Prune pears, apple, quince trees and the stone fruits (peach, apricot, almond and plum)
             - Thin out chestnut trees, trimming off suckers
             - Prune soft fruits and grape vines
Grafting - Collect scions and cuttings from stone fruits before the first buds appear to be used for grafting when the trees become dormant. The cuttings should be put into plastic bags and stored in a cold place (in the fridge!)
Work    - Prepare the ground for spring planting
             - Prepare holes for new olive plantings
             - Generally clean up and tidy the orchard


This months Harvest
From the Vegetable Patch : Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Radicchio
In the greenhouse or heated beds : Radicchio, Rocket/Arugula, Parsley, Radishes, Valerian

What we actually have this month is loads of Cabbage, a few Cauliflowers left, carrots are ready now and still loads of lettuces Brussel sprout seeds went in much too late and we only have tiny plants at the moment, I'm leaving them for the moment - if they take long enough to grow maybe next winter. If they grow too quickly now they will be coming out as they will be producing in summer and will not form good sprouts.  Peas and Broad Beans plants are strong and flowering now, ready for pinching out.

From caterpillers to chicken soup

November Roses in my Puglia Garden

It seems that the long dry summer of 2011 may finally be over with the rains arriving earlier this week, very much needed and much later than usual. The garden is definitely benefiting from the rain, cabbages (those that haven't been decimated by caterpillers that is) and cauli plants seem to have doubled in size overnight, peas and broad beans shooting up and the strawberry plants look a lot happier too. Tons of lettuces too, although lunches the last couple of days have been home-made soups. Celery and Potato and Chicken and Thyme (recipes below).

But still I woke up this morning to blue skies, few light clouds and the sun shining. Great for us as that means we will have solar hot water. Installing solar panels for hot water (and with the excess heating the swimming pool) has turned out to be a great investment. Even through the winter, at least here in Puglia, hot water is readily available most of the time. Although I did notice earlier this month that, even though we were still having sunny days, the solar hot water was, well it was just not hot. OH was persuaded to climb up and clean the panels which he did somewhat reluctantly. Just as well as he discovered that the insulation around the pipe that carries the hot water from the panels to the storage tank had perished. Without the real heat of the summer sun the hot water from the panels was cooling down before it got into the tank. Now repaired we have oodles of free hot water again. Utility prices in Puglia are very very expensive and having solar water makes a huge difference to us.

I've just finished reading Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. Not my normal reading, probably a book left by a visitor last summer. I'm always grateful when visitors leave books behind, it's a great source of new reading material and often an introduction to authors who I have not read before, as in this case. At first I didn't think I was going to enjoy it but I got drawn into Hans' story and could relate to him and his travels from the Netherlands to UK, New York and constant travel between New York and London whilst navigating a difficult marriage. I've never been interested in cricket but even the lengthy descriptions of cricket matches and the game didn't put me off, and the descriptions of New York life post 9/11 are very evocative.

From my own days of being a workaholic (oh how I have changed!)  I could relate to the following :

"There was another silence. I felt, above all, tired. Tiredness: if there was a constant symptom of the disease in our lives at this time, it was tiredness. At work we were unflagging; at home the smallest gesture of liveliness was beyond us. Mornings we awoke into a malign weariness that seemed only to have refreshed itself ovenight. Evenings, after Jake had been put to bed, we quietly ate watercress and translucent noodles that neither of us could find the strength to remove from their cartons; took turns to doze in the bathtub; and failed to stay awake for the duration of a TV show. Rachel was tired and I was tired."

So a complete change of pace but I did enjoy it. Definitely worth a read.

Right I'm off to pick caterpillars off the cabbages now and then to make a batch of ginger biscuits as yesterdays efforts have magically disappeared overnight, a presto!