Plot 129: July Heatwave

It's been three weeks since I was able to visit the plot properly, and during this time the UK has been experiencing a lengthy heatwave. I suspected that a barren, dried-up wasteland awaited me, but much to my surprise many plants have coped extremely well - none more so than those in the raised beds, despite my fears that they would have been amongst the first areas to dry out. The beds were filled with a mixture of soil and heavy recycled compost, and it seems as though this was an ideal mixture for retaining the water. The lettuce looked fantastic, and I was able to pick my first crop of baby beetroot from one of the beds.

Beetroot, purple raddish and yellow courgette

The ground-level hyssop-edged bed, planted with cabbages and cauliflower, also seem to have thrived in the heat, as have the sweetcorn, beans and herbs (especially the mint, pictured left). The courgette plants look healthy, although they probably needed more water to fruit successfully - I was able to pick a couple of courgettes, and there are plenty more coming. The onions seem to have struggled with the dry spell, however, not competing well with the weeds for water, and the potatoes are showing signs of wilting too.

As you probably know, there's no water source at the allotments, other than the river, and what we can collect in water butts from shed roofs. I've also sunk an old, cracked water butt to create a mini well, which is great for the spring but absolutely no use at this time of year, when the water table drops. This may have been a blessing in disguise, however, as we've recently had news that diesel has leaked into the groundwater from a nearby building site, and elevated levels of hydrocarbons have been found in the wells. The building site has kindly put in a tap for us with mains water so that we're not reliant on ground water, and I'm happy to report that the tap has been sited exactly opposite the entrance to plot 129! so I spent a happy and soggy hour or two collecting buckets of lovely fresh water and liberally watering all the surviving plants!