Lunatic Gardening

Yesterday I mostly planted vegetables. Too late, perhaps, to get good crops. But I've had other things on my mind and takin' my time.

So. I like to plant "biodynamically" which is to say - "by the moon". Because I am an old hippy.

A friend once told me that her new neighbours farmed "by the moon". So she imagined them frolicking about at night - scattering peas and lettuces by the light of the moon. Truly lunatic.

Not so. Biodynamic planting is a system based on plant parts, the elements, moon phases and astrology. Told yer I was an old hippy.

But however crazy you think that is. Don't see why the moon shouldn't affect plants. It plays a vital part in tides after all. That's quite a powerful effect, I reckon.
Whatever. At least the system helps me structure my gardening.

So yesterday was a "fruit" day - governing not only "fruit" fruit - but vegetables where we eat the fruiting part: like peas, beans, squash, corn, tomatoes and.... Chillies!

I had seedlings ready to plant out and it may be too late in the year to get good crops from some like the winter squash and borlotti beans - but I had to give it a go. I hope the remains of the summer will be kind to me and give me some squash I can store for winter.

My crops also suffer greatly from the abundance of slugs and snails. So this summer I am trying out a barrier product made from pelleted sheep's wool. It's supposed to be an irritant that inhibits their molluscy slitheriness. But the very smelly pellets are also supposed to provide a mulch and food for the plants.

Let's see.

For sure conditions for the rest of the day were challenging. The afternoon was full of Cornish mizzle and damping. As I finished planting the last of the sweetcorn and squash, my back ached and I was wet through. Cornish mizzle is very damping.

I wondered if any of the seedlings would survive the mollusc filled night.


PS. They all did. So far so good.