'Organic' Deer Fencing

Caught on the Trail Cam eating an apple tree.

We are surrounded by kilometres of forest so inevitably we get roe deer in the garden. The only sure way to keep them out is to fully fence the garden, or at least fence the bits we want to keep them out of. 

Earth Day 22nd April

Today will possibly be the strangest of Earth Days here in France, and in much of the rest of the World, too. Lockdown to reduce the spread of the new Coronavirus Covid-19 will stop us visiting any natural places beyond a km from home and with events cancelled, Earth Day here at Le Sarramea will be spent pottering in the garden. But first I'm marking the day with some photos taken during the last week.

The blue honeywort has been as spectacular as ever, humming with bees and other pollinators and self seeding all over the place. I'm having to ruthlessly remove seedlings as the plants can become pretty big and I'm worried they'll crowd out the lower growing sun lovers like the thyme plants.

The fedge, a cross between a hedge and a fence, made by planting and then bending goat willow stems, is starting to take shape. The lower branches are removed, leaving a hedge at the top, giving a light and airy division between the cultivated border and meadow beyond.

Pruning Early Flowering Shrubs & Taking Cuttings

With the first flush of spring behind us it is time to cut back the winter early spring flowering shrubs like this forsythia and some of the shrubby honeysuckles. 

This is also a great opportunity to increase your stock of the plants you like by taking cuttings. I now have half a dozen forsythia scattered around the place but only bought the first one; the rest have come from cuttings taken at this time of the year. But don't go mad - you don't want to end up with a garden crammed with only one or two plants that only flower for a few weeks of the year! We once bought a house with a long rectangular lawn some 10x3m lined on three sides with rows of alternated weigela and potentilla. I have refused to have either in any garden since!



As well as the forsythias I need to cut back a glorious winter flowering honeysuckle fragrantissima, planted outside our bedroom window so we can enjoy the intense fragrance in December and January. Not a total success as the windows are mostly closed in the winter, but it is worth standing in the morning sunshine and breathing in the scent. It will often be visited by bumble bees out for a mid-winter wing stretch and refuel.

The second honeysuckle, a Tatarian Honeysuckle, is a deep pink flowered one, the flowers and leaves coming out together in March. It can be invasive so needs to be managed to prevent it escaping, another reason for cutting hard after flowering to prevent the spread of berries by birds. Apparently it will also reach four metres if left to grow unchecked; I wish to keep it compact so it will be pruned hard in the next few days.

Sowing in Trays Versus Modular Sowing in Individual Pots

Although some plants hate being disturbed so need to be sown direct - carrots and parsnips for example - many benefit from being sown in a protected environment away from predators or extremes of weather. In this way we are more likely to have a high germination rate and higher survival rate. I know from experience here that if I sow a row of lettuces directly into the ground, the slugs will devour the seedlings as they emerge or flea beetles will wipe out most members of the cabbage family before they reach the true leaf stage. 

 Of course other gardens and environments will be different, but this is why we see flowers that produce thousands of seeds - if they all germinated and survived to maturity the world would be overwhelmed with, say cosmos. Would that be such a bad thing!

Jobs for the Month - April

April is a transition month, and a very unpredictable one weather wise, with anything possible from snow to heat waves. 

During March I sowed seeds like mad (and still am) and come early May I will be hoping to plant out everything into the garden. So in April I will need to bring on my tender vegetables - tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and the rest - from vulnerable seedlings to plants that are robust enough to survive life outside planted in the ground. This process, called hardening off, needs to be taken slowly. Young plants used to living indoors will really suffer or possibly die if they get plonked straight outside into the ground. Just imagine how you'd feel - duvet and central heating one day, cold feet, driving rain or intense sunshine the next! Yes, we need to get the plants used to sunshine as well as the cool.

I use a small blow away greenhouse as a half way house, and much of April is spent doing the In Out Plant Shuffle. Initially I'll choose a warm and sunny day to move all the plants out into a shady and sheltered spot for a few hours. I don't put them into full sun: the leaves can scorch and small pots can quickly dry out. In the first year we were here I put a tray of chillies out onto a windowsill and was then side-tracked by a friend arriving with beer. A couple of hours later and there was nothing left but a few shrivelled and crispy remains!

The plants will come back in to the house at night and after about a week of this they will advance to spending their nights in the little greenhouse and some part of their days in the sunshine. It is essential to keep the growing medium moist, but not wet and to avoid getting water on the leaves, as this can make sun scorch much worse. Eventually the plants will be used to living outside day and night, rain and shine. You must watch the weather during this process; any plant that is not frost hardy must come in at night, however tough they've become; my green house will not provide enough protection, or at least not without extra plastic or bubble wrap. And remember if the plants have to spend more than a day or two back inside, the hardening off will have to begin again!

In addition to the In Out Plant Shuffle, April sees continued repeat sowing of 

• turnips 
• beetroot 
• lettuce 
• radishes 

Plus bulk sowing of

• red & summer cabbage 
• carrots 
• cauliflower 
• courgettes 
• perpetual spinach & leaf beet 
• climbing & dwarf haricot (French beans) 
• kale
• peas
• parsnips
• sweetcorn
• various basils, other herbs & flowers as the mood, time and available compost takes me!

I'll be carrying on cutting the grass and the edges of the grass paths in the potager; the grass will be used as mulch on the beds and around both newly planted shrubs and hedges and those that are well established.

In April we will continue enjoying the short asparagus season, and possibly the first globe artichokes of the year, too. We should have lettuces and the last of the leaf beet, too, but otherwise April can be quite bleak in the kitchen garden!

We will also still be under le confinement due to covid-19 until at least the middle of the month and probably right through to the end. In practical turns I am so lucky to have my own garden to sit and work in, to contemplate the incredible quiet, and in which to be distracted from the current situation. 

Stay safe & healthy everyone, and please stay at home!