Growing a vegetable garden in a Breton climate

Several characteristics make the Breton climate unique: fairly frequent rainfall, a significant amount of cloud cover, and a fairly low temperature range (mild winters and cool summers). It benefits from an oceanic flow, a factor of mildness, although there are disparities between the north and the south: in the north, it is colder and more humid, in the south warmer and drier. A soil that is often acidic The parent rock (granite, sandstone, and shale) has been altered by winds, rain, and living organisms in the soil. Rich in silica, this rock has naturally produced, as it degrades, an acidic soil. 95% of Breton soils are acidic. Acidity can nevertheless be controlled by humans, particularly by liming or adding maerl. Breton soil is loamy and has a fairly airy structure, especially in northern Brittany. This soil has good water storage capacity, which is an advantage in times of drought but a disadvantage in rainy periods. If the soil is waterlogged, oxygen becomes scarce, which is detrimental to the development of plants and living organisms. A loamy soil is also sensitive to surface runoff, which impoverishes it by carrying away fertilizing elements. Overall, Breton soils have become depleted in organic matter, even if the trend today is toward stabilization. How to grow in a Breton climate? The three major difficulties in Brittany are rain, wind, and heavy, damp soil. First of all, it is imperative to orient your vegetable garden to a south-facing, sunny position. If the soil is very stony, it is necessary to carefully remove the largest stones. Small surface stones are not a problem. If the garden is very humid, we recommend growing on mounds. Protect your crops from the wind by growing small fruits and small hedges to the west and north. Since Breton soil is regularly compacted by rain, it will need to be aerated to allow root vegetables to grow properly. Mulch to prevent the soil from drying out and limit weeding. It is also possible to set up a plastic or glass greenhouse to increase heat during cultivation. It also protects crops by preventing rain from touching the foliage, which is a factor in disease. What to sow or plant in a Breton climate? Particularly suitable vegetables: leeks, potatoes, beets, lettuce, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, cabbage. But also: garlic (white garlic for inland Brittany, pink garlic for the coast or in greenhouses), orach, artichoke (large green artichoke from Laon), asparagus, eggplant (Barbentane eggplant, Ronde de Valence or white round egg), beetroot (round beetroot from Detroit, from Egypt, Crapaudine), chard, cardoon, carrot (Touchon carrot, Saint-Valery, Chantenay, Nantaise, De Guérande, Amsterdam, Nantaise, Touchon, De Colmar with red heart, Jaune du Doubs), celery, chicories (De Meaux, Fine de Louviers, En cornet d'Anjou, En cornet de Bordeaux), cucumbers and gherkins to grow in greenhouses (Le Généreux cucumber, Long vert Anglais, Vert petit de Paris gherkin), shallot, endive, spinach, fennel, broad bean, green beans, lettuce, sweetcorn, melon (cantaloupe charentais, petit gris de Rennes), turnip (Milan, yellow boule d'or, hammer), onion, parsnip (half long de Guernsey, Tender and true), physalis (species pubescens because it is earlier), peas, purslane, radish, rhubarb, rocket, tomatoes, Jerusalem artichoke (Violet de Rennes) For small fruits: blackcurrants will appreciate the generally acidic Breton soil but also strawberries, raspberries, or even gooseberries.