July 2020

During our “confinement “ ( lockdown) in France we were very busy continuing to create our potager amongst other jobs. The potager took shape and all the seedlings we had sown began to grow. They were then moved into the beds, which were safely protected by a fence…. no deer here. We have had a huge quantity of tomato plants, all grown from seed and the problem was where to put them all. As it was the first time I had grown tomatoes I was able to do a bit of experimenting to try and find the best places for them to thrive. The main plot was a raised bed behind the barns, a sunny spot so that the midday sun could kiss their beautiful skins.

The Sun did turn out to be a bit of an issue for this novice gardener! Reclaiming land in the orchard I chose a spot for the vegetables that was reasonably flat and in those early spring days the sun shone on the plants and all was good. But as the canopy of the trees thickened and summer wore on, direct sunlight in this specially selected spot became a little on the short side. Our farmer commented that it was in good soil but there was not enough sunlight and this I think turned out to be true for some of my veg. I seemed to have little success with courgettes and pumpkins and I can only put it down to a lack of direct sun. However the bonus of the dappled rays seemed to have worked well for lettuces who where shaded from the heat of the midday sun and consequently did quite well until a really hot spell caused them to bolt. They were then dispatched off to a friend who has chickens and apparently chickens love lettuce. The rest of my veg are mainly for winter so I am hopeful that they will have all the light they need as they come into their cropping season.

The potager will probably grow a little next year, so to speak, in order that we can have a couple of beds in full, full sunlight. I will try the courgettes and pumpkins once more because everyone can grow courgettes …can’t they? The tomatoes have been very happy and have fruited well. We have considered the cost of our set up for this potager and the related benefits in food grown, I don’t think it has a strong business case! However the herbs have survived and we have experienced the joy of picking and cooking from our own garden and I think that that…. is priceless!

Another consideration on the vegetable front are the many opportunities to buy fresh food locally. Our Saturday market in Montaigu is bursting with freshness and the displays of locally produced food is mouth watering. This year one of our local farms ( walkable distance) opened their doors twice a week to sell fresh vegetables. It’s become a weekly event to pop around on a Wednesday teatime and stock up on the vegetables that we don’t have in our veg patch. This lady farmer is on the bio route to becoming an organic farmer. Apparently it takes three years to gain bio classification, so although her food is grown without chemicals she can’t as yet call herself bio.

Our region is farming land and fields of wheat, corn and sunflowers are common sights. This year we have seen a lot more sorghum in the fields. Sorghum belongs to the millet family and although it can be consumed by humans, in France it is mainly grown for animal feed. This is however a crop that can respond to climate change, it needs less water than corn and can withstand drought. It is also a good rotational crop and can replenish soil after the more traditional planting. So after months of wondering what was growing in a neighbouring field, I now have an answer. This crop will add a red rusty hue to the view and give a new dimension to our rich, rolling landscape.

Lettuces on the potager.

We made this raised bed for the tomatoes during lockdown and had to find whatever wood we could from the barns. A little rustic but it has done the job. The self watering system was a later addition and has worked really well.

Another good tomato growing spot.

Homegrown tomato harvest.