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Welcome back to our weekly follow us! If you missed the last nineteen weeks, the links to them are above - and as usual - the key is at the bottom: scroll down now!
Weather conditions have been extreme this week (I appreciate the word ‘extreme’ has appeared in almost all posts describing the weather since March[!]), however, it is rainfall rather than temperature that has been this week’s issue…The rainfall total for the week has exceeded 170 mm (close to 6” in old money), which is more than twice the average rainfall for the month of August (80 mm).
Daytime temperatures have been in the range 21-24oC, and close to the historical average of 23oC. Night-time temperatures have been 15.5-18oC, slightly above the historical average of 14oC. The rainfall has occurred as intense showers (cloudbursts provides an apt description!) which have occurred most often towards the late afternoon or early evening - and contained exceptionally large droplets. Several showers have produced total rainfall in excess of 25 mm in less than an hour!
The shade netting was hastily re-erected to the planters (albeit after the pattern of weather became apparent) and has (again) played an important role in dispersing large rain drops and preventing plants being flattened in the downpours). We can be fairly confident in its role as the Pea ‘Tom Thumb’ in Planter 1 and all three kales in Planter 3 were badly pummelled, causing leaf breakage. We have included a couple of picture showing one of the showers together with this post.
Pea ‘Half pint’ (syn. ‘Tom-Thumb’) sown in Planter 1 remains in acceptable condition with a reasonable number of pods, though none as yet show any significant swelling. Flower production has definitely slowed and the harvest will probably not be as large as previous crops this summer as a result, especially as some flowers have either been dislodged in the rain or partly rotted as a result of becoming saturated. However, the shade netting was lifted off during most mornings to help maintain pollination of remaining flowers. The plants have reached just under 300 mm in height and remained upright as a result of their being hooked onto the cord lines that cross the planters from corner to corner. For some reason the tendrils don’t seem to hook up of their own accord and need some help with this, so it has become something of a morning chore with a mug of tea. It’s surprisingly quite rewarding as they coil so readily around the cords once they come into contact…!
The quartet of herbs in Planter 2 have continued to be harvested. The flowers of Dill ‘Dukat’ and Coriander ‘Confetti’ are a constant source of attraction to a wide range of insects (particularly bees) but the stalks are looking a little sparse with the removal of leaf from below. Parsley ‘Afrodite’ is the clear winner of the quartet and has excellent colour and a habit which is more advantageous than flat leaved parsley for container growing. With protection it would survive someway into the winter within the planter, but instead we’re going to pot this up and put it in the greenhouse to allow the planter to be re-sown. Basil ‘British’ has also started to be harvested and has quite good taste and is easy to pick; that said, we still think outdoor planting is a big ask, even with a season kinder than the one we’ve just experienced. The planter will be replanted with a mixture of line lettuces this coming week. We are going to go with Mustard ‘Red Giant’, Mustard ‘Mizuna’ and Mustard ‘Red and Green Frills’. These offer a good assortment on leaf colour, shape and texture.
Hearting Lettuce ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Amaze’ in Planter 3 continue to be picked daily and taste great with tomatoes and cucumber from the greenhouse. While their texture is especially good (they have a ‘crunch’ if soaked in cold water and spun dry beforehand) they have taken a long time to reach maturity (12 weeks) and have not formed the hearts necessary to allow them to be sautéed. On balance, the red ‘Amaze’ has proved slightly more successful than the green ‘Little Gem’. While they do have the ideal height and form for compact growing they are just a bit too ‘plodding’! Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’ have releafed vigorously after being cut back and produced excellent mid-sized leaves within just a couple of weeks, testifying to the strength of the root system the plants have developed. These easily each 300 mm deep and are laterally extensive, although this has never been to the detriment of the plants alongside.
The selection of kales sown in Planter 4 have suffered damage in the course of the heavy downpours, with a number of broken leaves. However, they have not been rendered prostrate as was the fate of kales in other planters which had yet to be fitted with supports (which highlights the value of the plant training system)! Differences are also beginning to show in the condition and growth of the Kales, with ‘Emerald Ice’ and Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ (Cavolo Nero) both outperforming Kale ‘Midnight Sun’. All three kales have suffered minor flea beetle damage. Regular inspections are being carried out to check for signs of caterpillars, the threat from which is diminishing but remains a risk..!