scrubbedexpat056

We hope to hear today that we are renting an allotment for 20 euro per year, 15 mins walk from the house. This is our first allotment so any tips welcome, but especially anyone in the Aude or with a similar enough climate and soil. It has been seriously neglected for quite a while so loads to do before the fun stuff, but any advice on what to plant when or pointers to where we can find the info on the internet.
Of course we'll be asking the others there, but so far we have only met North Africans and I find my basic French and their accents don't make a great mix. Having said that they are all very friendly and much has been achieved with simple sentences, good will and hand gestures. I'm going to include a pocket dictionary with our gardening tools.

scrubbedexpat056

Foolishly I didn't mention we live in Carcassonne.

Pica

Be observant about what others around you are growing and I'm sure they'd love to share their knowledge with you.

dmu

+1
Don't plant runner beans unless your allotment is sheltered from the Tramontane! And, in my experience, gooseberries are hopeless here.
Happy gardening!

scrubbedexpat056

I'm not overly fond of runner beans, but damn, I love gooseberries. Signing the contract this afternoon, unfortunately it's gone up from last year to 30 euro per year. But then we went to the vide greniere yesterday and got a fork, mattock, rake, long handled pruning shears and standard shears for 34 euro so not all lost economically.

Tweedpipe

Sounds like you did ok, one often finds bargains at the vide greniers and 34e certainly won't break the bank.
Having said that, when hunting for bargains I like to get the lowest price possible and also help a good charity at the same time. Have you ever been to your local Emmaus? I don't know your area too well, but a quick Google shows they're located at 80 Rue de la Coustoune, Z.I. La Bouriette (opposite Loxam). I go to my local branch every Wed morning and sometimes on Sat (rarely find what I'm after in my specialised collecting field) but always enjoy the visits. Sometimes I pick up some small object for a family member, and one can often come away satisfied having found something for a euro, and often 50cents.......
Two or 3 times a year we have a clear out, and now as Mme is a little nervouse at having potential buyers coming to the house (as they would if I'd posted on LBCoin) I fill the boot of the car with whatever we don't need and drop it all off at the Emmaus depot, knowing that the sale of all objects will be going to a good cause. Did this last week with a vgc three-piece suite we decided to change, and Emmaus sent out a van to collect - excellent service!
Oh dear, having gone a little off-topic here, I fear I may now have mnick nipping at my heels........

dmu

Me, too. You can always plant a bush if you can find one (groseillier à maquereau), but here in North Hérault, the fruit used to go mouldy before it could be picked and eaten. Most frustrating....

Tweedpipe

Gooseberries in France would be a dream come true! A gooseberry crumble with vanilla ice cream, sheer pleasure.

dmu

Miam miam!
But I've never ever seen gooseberries sold in my neck of the woods....

scrubbedexpat056

Yes, we know Emmaus very well. The one in Carcassonne is pretty small and only open 1 1/2 days a week, but we go there when we can. In fact we have donated more than we have bought from them. Unfortunately they don't deliver anymore and we don't have a car so when we are on a furniture hunt, having sold all our furniture when we left UK, we always time a visit with hiring a van. The best Emmaus we have ever come across is just outside Montauban in a village called Ville Deu du Temple. It's enormous and sells everything imaginable including building materials, doors, windows etc along with huge shed loads of all the normal stuff. And as you say, all in a good cause. We're off there tomorrow in a van, coupling the journey with taking things to our boat in Moissac prior to moving it closer to Carcassonne (hell, I've gone off my own topic).
I'm going have a go at gooseberries. Thanks for the French name DMU. What's the worst that can happen?

dmu

As said, the fruit will go mouldy before they're ready to be picked.... French OH didn't like gooseberries (do any French like gooseberries?), so didn't bother to look after them, and I haven't got green fingers...
The problem might be actually finding a gooseberry bush to plant. I think we bought ours decades ago from Willemse in the Nord, where the climate probably suits them better....

Tweedpipe

Alianco, here you go. https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-t...-gooseberries/
In the comments section at the end, some tips for growing gooseberries in France/Languedoc.

dmu

Hmmmm,, so I obviouisly didn't look after mine properly, and they always had mildew
@Alianco, let us know how you get on!

Tweedpipe

Talking of gooseberries, (and currently in a humorous mood), reminds me of one of Benny Hill's old 'classics':
"You will never find hairs on a duck egg
You will always find hairs on an ape
It is only the hairs on a gooseberry
That tells you it isn't a grape."

philat98

I have an allotment in central Italy where there is not much summer rain and temperatures reach 35-40C but the short winter is similar to the UK. I use plastic mulch with drip tubes for all summer fruit and veg. A polytunnel produces salad crops through winter and early spring.