Growing Home Produce

A Potager is one of those “must-haves”in a French garden and is a traditional part of life in rural France, particularly as homes with sizable plots of land are available. So,if you have always wanted to be part of the good life, now is your time.

BY SUE SARGEANT, PASSIONATE GARDENER, NOVICE WRITER

There are so many health benefits from choosing gardening as your hobby, not least being outdoors, meeting like minded people and enjoying the fruits of your labour. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. If your aim is to be self sufficient in fruit, vegetables and cut flowers, then here starts your labour of love. You have the time and the space to grow your own and there are no rules, well just a few tried and tested ideas.

THE PLOT

First of all the plot doesn’t need to be huge to give a reasonable range of produce. You can even start off small by growing a few plants in pots, section off a small area in the garden, or even plant vegetables in your flower beds. Herbs do really well in pots as well as a few “cut and come again” salad crops.

GETTING STARTED

This can be the biggest step but start small and aim big. There is no doubt that once you have caught the “veggie bug” you will crave more space to grow all your favourite crops. Be realistic though; how much time do you want to spend tending the plot, how much food do you really need? I find raised beds to be ideal for growing vegetables because you can keep the crops rotated easily, weeding is less of a problem, and there is no need to dig. You just have to keep topping up with compost and the defined edge (we used stone) stops slugs invading your crops. The beds are rested over the winter after a top up of compost and covered with either leaves or black plastic to suppress weeds. This covering also keeps the soil warm ready for sowing in the spring.

We choose the crops we really like to eat, especially tomatoes, peppers, chillies, leeks, garlic and a few herbs. We grow lots of different varieties of Tomatoes and freeze them for sauces and soups. The Noire de Crimée are our favourites for cooking and freezing. They crop well but need good support as, at the height of the season, they resemble small trees.

Raising your plants from seed can be very rewarding and if you can swap plants with friends it will give you a wider range of produce. One packet of seed may have far too many seeds for you, particularly if they all germinate, so be prepared with your pots and compost, ready to pot up the seedlings as soon as they are looking healthy. They really do make perfect gifts for friends and neighbours. I usually say a small seedling with three leaves is ready for potting on.

Other jobs in May & June

If a Potager is not your thing, here are a few ideas for the next few weeks.

SOFTWOOD CUTTINGS

These cuttings can be a bit of a challenge due to the softness of the young shoots but they do root very quickly if you follow these simple steps. I normally take cuttings from Salvia and Penstemon in June.

• Start in the morning.

• You will need a plastic bag, secateurs and some pots filled with compost.

• Look for side shoots and cut just below a leaf joint.

• Place them in the plastic bag.

• Nip out the tip of the cutting and reduce the remaining leaves by half to reduce wilting.

• Place the cuttings around the outside of the pot.

• Water and cover with a plastic bag.

• Place them on a window sill or in a greenhouse.

• Keep a check on these cuttings but they should root within a couple of weeks, ready to be potted on.

CONTAINER PLANTING

Traditionally, the 1st of May has been the day for planting containers in France, usually with Geraniums. For the last two years I have tried my hand at raising these from small plug plants. There is no doubt that this is a very cost effective way of producing lots of plants but it is very time consuming. So now I go to our local market to buy my Geraniums without the worry of growing them on.

www. opengardens.eu

It’s that time of year when the Open Gardens scheme blossoms into life.

Opening the gates to hundreds of different gardens throughout the region, the Open Gardens/ Jardin Ouverts Association brings together gardeners and gardening enthusiasts by encouraging owners to open their gardens to the public. Some might present formal structures and immaculate potagers, whilst others might be in the British cottage garden style or focus on water as the main theme.

Some incorporate ornamental grasses, tropical plants, drought tolerant plants, shrubs and trees, bonsai, potagers and fruit trees. Others feature immaculate lawns, walled herb gardens, kitchen gardens and organic plots. The designs might include rose arches, refuge spots for birds and insects, ponds and even architectural relics found whilst digging.

All proceeds from the scheme are donated to charitable organisations in France. A Day Pass costs €5 and allows you to visit as many gardens as you wish on the day of purchase, or an Annual membership is available for €10.

Ideal for the development of ideas and an insight into different techniques, the scheme is now in its sixth year and is adding more and more gardens each year. The website at www. opengardens.eu lists gardens by region and gives complete descriptions, highlighting the features with beautiful photography. A quick look at the online calendar also shows which gardens are open and when.

Many of the gardens offer light refreshments and/or sell plants which, in the spirit of the Association’s motto, “gardening and the spirit of generosity”, also provides additional income for the charities.

www. opengardens.eu

Jardins de Beauchamp

www.jardineriejay.fr

• Outdoor plants

• Mediterranean plants

• Advice and realization of your landscape

• Aquatic plants

• Pottery

Rue des isserts (derrière la gare) Rocade: rond-point de Beyssac

MARMANDE Tel: 05.53.64.30.12

www.jardinerie.fr

Advertising