It was the wettest June on record, the wettest April-June period ever, and July hasn't fared much better with cool, grey wet days and also some cool nights. Now this is supposed to be a blog about my allotment and not a grumble about the weather, but the poor weather over the last three and a bit months has had a serious impact on the productivity of the plot.
In terms of the winners, my fruit trees have loved the extra moisture and those that set fruit after the late frosts are carrying a very heavy crop. Some apples are already enormous and there has been a minimal June drop as the trees probably feel they can carry more fruit than normal thanks to the constant rain. I will do some manual thinning of these fruits to ensure higher quality - I also don't want the trees to exhaust themselves this year and produce nothing next year.
The salads and legumes have appreciated the cooler conditions with a good crop of peas and broad beans and some really good little gem lettuce. Often the lettuces bolt - or run to seed - at this time of year due to heat and drought stress. No signs of bolting thus far and really good, solid hearts make for tasty teatime salads.
The brassicas have also done really well with strong plants of calabrese, mini caulis and my sprouts all progressing nicely with the cool and damp conditions. Netted against pigeon attack they should start providing a crop soon.
The downsides have been numerous. I've lost two cucumbers due to rotting off so it will be a while before I get anything from the third attempt. The courgettes have sat and sulked and the squash is growing lush foliage but no signs of flowers. The tomatoes in the polytunnel are finally moving now but they are about three weeks behind in terms of cropping potential - I do not expect to harvest a ripe tomato until well into August. The sweetcorn has been bashed by the wind and rain and is half the size it should be, although I do anticipate a crop of sorts, which is better than some of my fellow gardeners who have lost the lot.
One of the biggest problems has been getting seeds to germinate and flourish. I've tried with parsnips, carrots, swede and beetroot on numerous occasions and have failed miserably. I think it's been a combination of poor germination weather and then a huge number of slugs to munch anything that has raised its head above soil level. There is still time - and therefore hope - for a late sowing of carrots and beetroot but it's been a dreadfully poor year so far for the roots.
The final moan is the disappointing taste to the raspberries and strawberries. They are now ripening in profusion but taste bland and almost sour. They are good tasting varieties as I selected them to be so... I can only assume the lack of sunshine means fruit is colouring up but not actually ripening with any sweetness. The grape crop may suffer the same fate unless the end of July, August and September improve markedly in sunlight and temperature.
Moaning aside, here are a few pictures taken recently.
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| The first tomato flowers in the poly |
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| Baby bunches of Pinot Noir - now add sunshine! |
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| Garlic crop drying in the shed - lifted early due to rust |
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| Sweetcorn and squash (still protected) |
