Hmmm…I should have prepared my crops for the storms! We’ve had a lot of rain recently and strong winds too, and my veg patch is looking a bit sorry for itself now. So, here’s a checklist for those of you that have storms in the forecast…
- Brussels Sprouts – earth them up and stake them if possible. Mine “fell” over, and unfortunately the roots were damaged in the process, so no more sprouts for me!
- Borlotti Beans (and other climbing beans) – put some guy ropes up!! My “sturdy” bamboo supports were evidently not up to the job. They completely collapsed, leaving the beans to get soggy on the ground. This was not ideal as I’ve been waiting for them to die and dry out so that I can store them. I’ve propped them up as best as I can, hoping that they’ll hang on for a couple more weeks.
- Broccoli – earth them up. These are pretty big and tall now (the ones I planted in May) and luckily they stayed strong in the wind, but I’ve earthed them up a bit too, in case there are more gales on the way.
- Sweetcorn – harvest them! I think if they haven’t ripened yet, they’re probably not going to, so I’ve harvested what I can and then it doesn’t matter if the remaining plants get blown over!
- New plants – keep them slug free – this wet weather is perfect for slugs and snails. My veg patch is full of them. I’ve put out lots of slug beer traps.
- Parsnips – I’ve earthed mine up to make sure the crowns are covered to avoid canker (on Rocket Gardens’ advice!)
- Winter Squash – I’m not sure about this, but I’m considering harvesting mine early if the weather carries on like this. I feel like they’ll ripen better in the warmth of my kitchen, and I don’t want them to rot on the ground. I have made sure that they’re not sitting directly on the soil…