Our Sun
For the last 5-6 months we have had a large coronal hole on the southern hemisphere bombarding the Earth with high energy protons carried by the sunwinds.
This phenomena is extraordinary as it is happening simultaneously with the high sunspot cycle of the sun. At the same time, we are told that within the next couple of months the magnetic polarity of the sun with reverse, which usually has a strong effect on the weather on the Earth.
The long drought condition might have had a relationship to these phenomena.
The Weather
With these imminent changes on the sun seems to come a let up of more rains and cooler weather coming our way and making our attention shift in the garden from excess dryness, strong insect presence and attacks to making sure that our plants are protected from molluscs and microbial diseases, particularly in the tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber and onion families.
The Insect Community
Luckily the Cabbage White Butterflies stopped breeding, though the caterpillars are at their climax of decimating leaves on brassicas unless we had found a way to protecting them.
The aphids are also very rife but luckily the ladybird population is very high keeping a check on aphids.
Last but not least, since beginning of last week the wasps have become increasingly a nuisance attacking our ripening fruit and hollowing them out.
It might be an idea of hanging up honey or syrup traps in bottles to catch them, dry them and incinerate them to make biodynamic /homeopathic repellents.
The Diseases
Unfortunately, the stress caused by lack of water on the plants has caused many nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disturbances causing the aphids to have a field day and damaging the epidermis even more than was caused by wilting of leaves in drought conditions, making the leaves more susceptible to fungal and bacterial attack.
As soils have been on the dry side and microbial communities didn’t have enough food in the soils to feed on, since the last full moon we have seen increasingly damage from this microbial attack. As we are moving into more humid conditions, we need to be equipped to deal with more attacks on the horizon.
How to navigate the next weeks in the garden
Some tips to increase the growth of vegetables.
- When you sow or transplant add more compost than usual to your beds.
- Give topdressings of a spade/ft2 around base of vegetables with half rotted composts from animal manure particularly horse, sheep and goats, which are faster acting.
- Apply a handful of woodash or garden lime /m2 to make more nutrients available.
- Apply a handful of basalt/m2 to help with minerals and warmth forces in the garden.
- Sprinkle diluted (1:9) nettle or comphrey ferments on soil around the plants after the first rains.
- Spread on three consecutive afternoons the horn manure preparation.
- Follow a few days later with the horn silica preparation in the morning.
- Spray regularly with the valerian preparation to heal the warmth body of the garden. Add possibly at the end of stirring the horn manure preparation
- Get some blue water pipes and some fleece to create mini hooped covers to keep the vegetables protected from strong and cold winds and excess of water particularly in the north, west and Ireland.
With these measures all in place you can now continue confidently with your usual garden work listed below for this coming month – July until middle of August.
Sowing time ends 22.July
Last Chance to sow on Saturday 19. July: Bush beans, peas, and green manure mixes with rye or oats and vetch, persian, white and red clovers,
On the 21. & 22. July sow root crops: Black radish, radish, early varieties of carrot, beetroot,
Transplanting time from Tuesday 10 am
NURSERY WORK
Plant on the 22. After 13:00 and on the 23.July: last potatoes (special Christmas varieties).
Prick out in the greenhouse or cold frame from 24-25 July: The 24. July best day with 2 water trigones
For overwintering: Brussels sprouts, Savoy cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, land Swiss chard, leaf beet, lettuce, endive, radicchio, parsley, beetroot, (in modules or boxes for pricking out and then for transplanting outdoors)
Transplant outdoors:
OUTSIDE: kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, pak choy, land cress, rocket, onions, Florence fennel, Swiss Chard, leaf beet, lettuce, endive, radicchio, mustards, fennel, parsley, beetroot, onions.
winter cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, kohlrabi
Harvesting:
GREENHOUSE: Tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, basil, oregano, peppers, aubergine.
OUTSIDE: Broadbeans, peas,kale, kohlrabi, early cabbage, perennial kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, Chinese mustard, mizuna, turnip tops, radish, Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, beetroot, lettuce, rocket, radishes, parsley, carrots, onions and potatoes
Think sun and warmth
Hans-Günther
