A challenging growing season for all
It’s been a really troublesome growing season so far…the ongoing changes in the weather from sunny to rainy (and lots more rain than usual) are causing havoc for the plants!
Our tomatoes have only just started to flower, about 1 month later than they should be 
and lots of other plants are struggling to cope with the conditions – not ideal for a growers harvests thats for sure.
Hopefully our beans will start producing a crop in the next week or so!
And at least we have enjoyed nibbling a few of the soft fruits that have ripened recently…mmmm, nothing better than a freshly picked raspberry or strawberry!! We’ve also got our first courgette flower of the season…beautiful!
Are you finding similar problems in your garden too?
We’ve prepared a few tips for supporting your growing activities through this tumultuous weather:
- The most important thing is not to get discouraged if some of your growing doesn’t quite work out. Keep succession sowing, so that if something doesn’t grow as needed – you can start again. It’s not too late for most crops to give them another go.
- For plants that have bolted you can always eat the flowers eg. rocket or coriander. Coriander flowers are yum – a delightful mixture of sweet and spicy flavour! Always make sure you check that flowers of a particular plant are edible beforehand – there is a useful list on the Garden Organic website.
- A lot of wind has also added to challenging growing conditions – be sure to protect your plants from wind as much as possible. Use wind breaks, and tie/stake plants like beans and tomatoes to give them extra support.
- Keep tomatoes pruned to make them stronger against blight.
- Now we’re past the middle of June, you can aslo start sowing oriental brassicas like mustard, rocket, mizuna – so, if you summer plants haven’t gone as planned, you could change tack and try some of these varieties.
We are also busy planning our event schedule for the summer…stay tuned for more info coming soon, but in the meantime – here is a taster of what will be happening at FOOD from the SKY in the coming months:
July through November – Food growing short courses. Various topics related to growing your own.
August – School holiday workshops for children.
September – The Grand Feast – a meal event like no other, food sourced from the local area and an auction with fantastic prizes.
Happening this week at FOOD from the SKY…
Wednesday 10am-1pm…work day with Sarah
- Please bring strong shoes, comfortable clothes and sunscreen.
Friday 9am-4pm…harvest and work day with Jack
- More hands are needed for harvest, so if you can get there early that would be great. No obligation to stay for the whole day.
Good advice.