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Sunburnt veg...

GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
in Problem solving
The plants on my veg plot have almost given up in this unrelenting heat. Tomatoes have flopped over from the middle, the runner beans look exhausted and the cucumbers and squash have wilted. All are watered daily, or twice, in the heat. The plot is too big to cover with shade fabric. Glum. I am glad I don't have to grow all my own food...
Anyone else have this?

Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Nothing can replace rain. It doesn't matter how much we water it doesn't soak in efficiently. Using a hose often just hits the foliage and doesn't reach the soil. Depending how big your plot is could you use some buckets of water at soil level to try and revitalise them.
    Hard work though.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Some years are hard years. As you say, it's as well most of us don't have to grow enough to survive. It's not at all uncommon to have one or two total crop failures in a year for one reason or another. It's very disheartening.

    But usually, if you keep going, other seasons and other crops will do well. We have to adapt as we go to some extent, and learn from the failures. For example I tend to grow both french and runner beans now because normally what one doesn't like the other will love.

    As a matter of interest, I don't water my veg garden, only the stuff indoors in my baby polytunnel, so it all has to take it's chance on the weather. I'm in my tenth year growing veg here and on the whole, it's doing better now than when I started, because the soil structure has had a lot of investment in that time. It is cooler and wetter here than in most of the south of England. We got up to 28 or 29 degrees the last few days but I don't think we've got over 30. Even so, as time goes on, if you work on your soil, you'll have fewer failures.

    Honest.  :)
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
    Yes rain is very precious - just have not had any for so long. I have removed some leaves on the tomatoes and the beans have picked up, which is reassuring. It's my own fault - I have grown too much which means that the water has to go further. Oh well, another lesson learnt!
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Mulch does a world of good, if done while the soil is damp/wet.  After planting I lay down soaker hoses on a timer switch attached to the tap, and then mulch over any exposed soil with cardboard, newspaper, and/or brown bags covered in grass clippings.  It makes a huge difference in evaporation of moisture from the soil.  Maybe wait until mid-summer when plants are robust enough to withstand some slug damage, and mulch then?  It's also worth putting some upside down plastic bottles to help with watering when you plant in the spring, knowing they will come into use in the summer.  
    Utah, USA.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Hello, Grannybee, you are a comfort to me - not because your crops are failing! but because you seem to be the only other person aware of the incredible drought and heat some are experiencing. No amount of soil improvement or mulching can cope with these conditions, although soaker hoses might help if you can afford them. I am watching mature trees and shrubs wilt, myself, and there is little I can do to help!
  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
    Thank you all for your comments. A soaker hose is a great idea but high water costs make it unrealistic in my very large garden. I prefer to use saved rainwater and grey water. I've decided that this water stress for me means a drastic reduction in what I grow next year....I don't need to have 24 runner bean plants, 12 outdoor tomatoes and so on. There are only two of us here! I just wanted to have a moan really and see if anyone else had a problem.  I think this winter I will be re-planting on a huge scale and importing some horse manure (well rotted!) to improve all the soil.
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    It's been really difficult with it being so dry - I'm thinking of increasing the amount of rainwater storage I've got - currently about 3 cubic metres, but they ran out a couple of times this year, and with the climate becoming more variable and unpredictable, a few more daisychained butts or bins look like a good idea... I'd like to be a bit more organized to be ready to mulch after rainfall as well.
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