An unpredictable growing season
Post categories: brassicas,Ìýbroad beans,Ìýtomatoes,Ìýwatering
| 07:00 UK time, Thursday, 4 August 2011
What a tough growing season. A long drought from winter through spring, killer frosts the start of May, deluges through June, and cold grey July. Seems all the wrong way round. Still, simply because our gardens have so many different plants, some perform better and some more poorly. Even a range of the same plant can show this.
I can pat myself on the back for my brassicas. They've done exceptionally well.
Some years ago I was conducting trials of several dozens of tomatoes. About a third performed average, a third badly and a third really well. The next year gave roughly the same results - though each third was not composed of the same varieties.
Minor variations in conditions each year favoured or handicapped some sufficiently to change the results. If one grows but one variety doesn'tÌý it’s hard to tell whether it’s your method, the variety or the year to blame or bless. With several treated the same you realise what a difference the variety makes.
Currently I’m growing onions from seed and set, although I had to water at first most look pretty good. But the difference between two sets from the same supplier is remarkable, Sturon are magnificent while Jet Set are pathetic, and these cost more. If I only grew Jet Set I’d consider I’d failed, if only Sturon I’d praise my skill. However I can pat myself on the back for my brassicas. They’ve done exceptionally well.
Most years I habitually water them only when just planted out but seldom after, relying on my meagre rainfall. This year I knew more generous watering would make a difference but rarely bothered and the drought and heat meant I had to water oftener and for longer.
And what a difference it’s made with most growing even better than expected. The spring cabbages were superb though the sudden down pouring made many split. (Interestingly those nearer a raspberry bed were worst- they’d been kept drier by the competition.) Later cropping cabbages have also prospered, particularly Brigadier which have grown immense.
Likewise broccolis; my favourite Romanesco, which can be a b to grow, has done very well, I adore it’s amazing fractal like pointy green curds.
But the stars are the swede tweeds, planted with broad beans (remarkably free!) as companions. Swedes are seldom happy in a garden, they like field culture, and prefer the damper north and west. However this has obviously been a Scottish summer as they’ve grown huge already. The spring drought has introduced another change.
To save water in the soil I laid strips of carpet down on most of the dirt paths between my vegetable beds. (Each bed is 4 x 15 ft with a 1 ft path so about one fifth of the whole area is protected from evaporation.) Underneath it stayed noticeably moister, the carpet suppresses weeds and when it gets soiled can be turned over and shaken off.
The twins love to run bare foot up and down the alleys and oh what a pleasure it is to walk and kneel on carpet when picking and weeding.
Bob Flowerdew is an organic gardener and panellist on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.
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