Infos Maison et Jardin Mon jardin dans le sud
The Mediterranean climate very favorable for a lot of plants. but unfortunately also pests and deceases.
Here is a log of what happened my garden 2010
| Date | Weather/Environment | Temp | Growing | Pests/Deceases |
| January | Frost and sometimes weeks below zero | -3-10 | Krokus growing |
Peaches must be treated now (before buds start growing) against Leaf curl (Cloque du pêcher) |
| February | 5-13 | Sowing plants indoors | ||
| April 9th | 12-18 | outdoors sowing effective | Caterpillar Procession, do not touch! First aphids on Ivy, then moving to many other plants |
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| May 9 | last day of rainy season | Now plants really start pushing | ||
| June.. | Aphids on several plants again (Pepper, Aubergine, Sun flower, Roses, Tomato) | |||
| June.. | Birds dig in pots and ground, ripping out young plants. | |||
| 1 June | Tomato first flowers | |||
| 10 June | Grass starts turning brownish | |||
| 12 June | Cherries are ripe | |||
| 15-16 June | First rainfall again since may 9 | 18 | ||
| 20-30 June | Lucioles at night (22-23:00) | |||
| 20 July | First Tomatoes | |||
| 23 July | Red spider mites eating tomatoes, mais | |||
| August | 30 | Sow winter crop |
Water
I realized that it is necessary to install a automated water system, a few days forgetting to water, and your crop may be lost. I use a timer that turns on the water every 2nd day for 15 minutes in the early morning (when its not hot yet and water is not vaporizing immediately). The water is distributed via hoses with micro granular holes, those drip the water slowly. I also collect water from the roof into 300l barrels. Make sure you have nowhere standing water for more than a few days, mosquitoes are very quickly developing (see mosquitos article).
Fertilizing/Compost
I shred and compost everything, this gives me perfect fertilizer after half years. I try to keep my compost moist but have to turn it more often than I used to do elsewhere. I use only biological fertilizer but rarely.
Mowing
I use a mulching mower, that allows me to keep the cuttings on the grass that by itself re-fertilizes the lawn. The small cuttings get stuck in between the grass so that I have no issues with cuttings that would end up in the swimming pool.
Decease and pest protection
I create nettle tea that I spread every couple of months over the plants. This strengthens the plants (fertilizer) and avoids deceases and pests. See also article on good and bad bugs.
By AWeb Design