As I sit down to write this article I’m looking out at the garden and it is beginning to look a sorry state. It really is very hard to garden in this sort of weather.

We need more than an odd shower of rain to keep things growing. The plants most badly affected by the drought have all died. We’ve lost several good shrubs as well as quite a bit of veg in the kitchen garden. We weren’t in a position to water the garden as we depend on the mains water and there was a strict hosepipe ban in force here.

Potatoes, peas and onions have all suffered as the soil dried out more and more. It’s the same all around the country, with fields parched to the last. We miss our own lovely spring well, especially now during a time of water shortage.

Fruit of all sorts has thrived in the fine, sunny weather. It ripened quickly and cropped heavily across the board. It may be that the wet spring suited all fruit.

Jenny has been very busy making jam: strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry and blackcurrant so far. You just can’t beat the flavour of homemade jam.

Some seeds need to be sown soon for winter and spring use. Keep sowing butterhead and Iceberg lettuce. These can be sown in tunnels for winter use.

Some seeds of spring cabbage can also be sown now. We sow Wheelers Imperial, as it is fully hardy and will usually survive harsh winters when transplanted out in or around mid-September.

Garlic also did really well this year and can be soon lifted and stored when completely dry in a good airy loft or shed for winter use.

Because I’m of an older generation, people keep asking me if I’ve ever seen such weather with all of the heavy snow in March and now this long dry warm spell. If I remember correctly, it was the same in the 1940s when it would start to snow in November and keep going right through ’till March with severe night time frosts. I remember the local canal completely iced over on 18 April 1947.

Around the same time, my father bought cabbage plants to sow outdoors but it couldn’t be done until the snow melted and the days got milder. It’s easy to forget that working in the fields was hard work. Jobs such as thinning turnips and mangels were done by hand and not even with a rubber glove to wear.

Hope to see you all at my local Tullamore Show.

Email me at lilysgarden@gmail.com

Read More:

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/lily-champ-reaping-the-rewards-in-the-garden-382804

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/plants-beginning-to-bloom-372645