I see my last blog refered to a pattern of unseasonal weather over the past decade or so. Well, if this year represents a new pattern or a sign of things to come, we gardeners are really going to have a struggle to grow much at all. As with others I have exchanged notes with, my covered growing areas- the large greenhouse and polytunnels have rescued us from total disaster. Any seedlings I raised under cover, and I do raise most this way now, were devoured by slugs and snails as soon as they were transplanted outside. Other crops which normally grow exclusively outdoors- such as onions or runner beans have either been decapitated by slugs or hammered flat by wind and rain. I have now removed all the potato haulms and today I also removed most of my tomato leaves due to blight. So, all in all, not a happy time.
Due to the inclement weather, I have resorted to some extreme measures. For instance, I have transplanted squash plants, which otherwise would have been moved outdoors by now, into "hanging baskets" in the polytunnels. At least, in this way, they can continue to grow relatively unhindered and if/when the weather improves they can be moved outside to a more suitable location. Other plants and seedlings have just been transplanted into larger and larger pots as they outgrow their modules.
I have also hung a suspended shelf high up in the greenhouse to house trays of seedlings out of the reach of the galloping hordes of slimy slobs.
In the fruit department, I can report a total absence of plums, a sad handfull of pears, and even our cooking apple has failed to exhibit its usual spring drop of fruit. Thank the Lord for bottled apples from previous years!!!
This years real surprise though has been the grapes in my greenhouse. Their growth has even outdone last years' record crop- although we will very soon, still need more sunshine than has been around recently to ripen them.
Another source of optimism are my varied soft fruit- from tayberry, raspberry and alpine strawberry which have been gracing our breakfast muesli; to the promise of the first fruit from the Japanese wineberry, hardy kiwi and goji berries, not to mention the myrtle, Oregon grape, sea buckthorn, Eleagnus and honeyberry. The small fig, which replaced our previous prolific tree which died following the collapse of the rear garden retaining wall, has produced one fruit which will struggle to mature. However, I have now noticed that a new sapling fig has appeared where its parent met its untimely end 3 years ago!!
So, even as we despair over this year's awful wet weather, there is hope in new growth that promises surprises in years to come.
