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Welcome our first Follow Us update of the Winter, coverings weeks 32 and 33! If you missed the last thirty-one weeks of this year, the links to them are above - and as usual - the key is at the bottom: scroll down now!
The weather over the last fortnight has been mild, with temperatures largely above the seasonal average. Strong and occasionally near-gale-force winds have been a constant feature, defying all efforts at leaf collection! The number of wet days has been typical for November but has not produced significant rainfall; that said, it has been sufficient to allow the planters’ irrigation system to be switched off and drain down to prevent frost damage.
Daytime temperatures during the middle part of November have ranged from 12-140C and have been above the seasonal average of 110C, 90% of the time! The minimum and maximum daily temperature recorded were 110C and 150C, respectively. Night-time temperatures have ranged from 8-90C, staying above the seasonal average of 60C on 11 of the 14 days. The minimum and maximum temperatures recorded were 1.50C and 110C, respectively. Winds were moderate to fresh during the first week but increased in severity to near-gale-force during the second week. Rainfall occurred on 8 of the 14 days which is typical for November, when every other day can apparently be expected to be wet, but daily rainfall totals on wet days ranged from only 1.0-4.0mm, to give a total of 18mm. November is historically the wettest month of the year in Hereford, with a rainfall total of 100mm, so the rainfall over the last fortnight has only been about 40% of that which might ordinarily occur!
Lamb’s lettuce and Land Cress have, despite the more-mild conditions, continued to grow slowly in Planter 1; they have, at least, now reached the four-leaf stage. The density of plants is far too high but there is little point in thinning these because at the very least they are protecting the soil surface in the cover they provide. Despite their slow growth, the plants remain in excellent condition with dark-green, glossy leaves which are an adaption to the very low temperatures both plants are capable of withstanding. I am not sure at this point whether I might have been better off with Lettuce ‘Green in Snow’, but suspect sowing just two weeks earlier would have made all the difference!
Spring Onion ‘White Lisbon Winter Hardy’ are in good condition and most plants have now have reached 60mm. A number of plants have slight browning of the growing tip but this is normal after a couple of frosts. The spacing of the plants is really accurate and means that no two plants are in contact and at risk of becoming entangled. This attention to detail is really important in preventing downy mildew.
Mustard ‘Red Frills’ / Mustard ‘Golden Streaks’, Mustard ‘Red Giant’, Mustard ‘Mizuna’ in Planter 3 remain in good condition and continue to produce sufficient leaves for a round of sandwiches each day, which is quite impressive given the plants have been harvesting now for six weeks. There is little to choose between the varieties in terms of growth rate but Mustard ‘Red Frills’ and Mustard Golden Streaks’ have a more compact habit than the Mustard ‘Mizuna’, look more appealing with their lobed shape of their leaves and contrast in colour from light-green to deep-burgundy, as well as having a better taste and texture. The ‘Mizuna is too ‘leggy’ and has as much stalk as leaf!
Kale ‘Emerald Ice’, Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ (Cavolo Nero) and Kale ‘Midnight Sun’ have each developed new rosettes of leaves which have not suffered any damage due to flea beetle, suggesting that these may have been killed off by frost! The young leaves of Kale ‘Emerald Ice’ are the most impressive as these are predominantly white with a skirt of green around the leaf margins. The Kale ‘Midnight Sub’ leaves are also impressive in the depth of their purple cover. Both make Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ (Cavolo Nero) bland by comparison. Despite the new growth we’ve continued to harvest no more than 10-12 leaves twice per week. Careful picking from the base has reduced the incidence of downy mildew.
Finally, we do have two eight planters outside and these remain productive with a variety of crops still being harvested on a daily basis. These include an assortment of kales (predominantly ‘Nero Di Toscana’, ‘Red Russian’ and ‘Dwarf Green Curled’), Swiss chard, Spinach ‘Perpetual’, Spring onion ‘North Blood Red Holland’ and Carrot ‘Sweet Imperator Mix’ and Rocket ‘Wild’ and Radish ‘Mooli Mini Early’. All are faring well despite having no protection, and images can be found attached to the carousel of Kales in Planter 4, below!