Growing on the moon!

We just returned home from the Loire in France to find that the greenhouse has exploded into magnificent abundance.  Wow!

I decided this year that I would have a go at planting from seed in accordance with the moon cycle.  This works on the age-old belief that phases of the moon affect plant growth and thus the time that you plant the seed will have a bearing on the fruits (or vegetables!) from said seed.

I have to be honest, it wasn't easy.  Eben at 18 months was a liability in the greenhouse and the planting was a little rushed to say the least, and a busy spell meant that my parents did most of the initially watering and tending.  Still, I managed to plant out most of the developing seedlings following Mum's instructions (this following my botched effort while they were in Australia and only to kill the beans with over watering - note to self, beans do not like too much water!).

So I'm pretty pleased to return from our holiday and find that the broccoli in particular has done very well, not a caterpillar in sight, and the stem and the head are strong and vibrant. I haven't tasted them yet, but I have three huge broccoli head's now sat in my fridge as I was keen to harvest before the flower petals appear, so it looks like we'll be eating broccoli all week.  Not a problem for me as it's my favourite vegetable and I am stillllllllll obsessed by turmeric curry and especially with broccoli in it.

I'm impressed with the chard too and the sweetcorn looks like it may soon be ready to harvest, but I know very little about this and await Mum's further insight and instructions.

The peas are in full flow and shall be a welcome addition to the curry with the chard too. I'm looking forward to the beans and courgettes catching up. Perfect Turmeric vegetarian curry coming up!

The fruit trees in the greenhouse are so heavy with fruit that some of the branches have dropped down to the ground with the weight. So I expect a bountiful harvest of mirabelles, greengage, plums and even nectarines.  The fig tree has gone crazy, I've never seen so many figs on it, so I guess we'll be able to sell some of these too.  I'll keep you posted as this is yummy home grown (without chemicals) fruit, tastes so much better than the stuff in the shops...

So I guess perhaps there is something in this moon-growing malarkey, another reason to bow down with humble gratitude to the wonderful moon and all her offerings!

x