Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: JayG on July 06, 2018, 08:17

Title: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: JayG on July 06, 2018, 08:17
...runner beans in my case - a lot more flowers low down than usual, some of which are setting, but they seem reluctant to climb above around 4-5' at the moment (they're usually near the top of the Munty frame, 10' or thereabouts, by now.)

The crop is bound to be affected if they decide they don't want to get any nearer to the sun!  :unsure:
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Goosegirl on July 06, 2018, 10:55
I'm finding the same with my sugar snap peas outside and also a climbing French bean in my greenhouse. I'm wondering if it's the continual bright sun that's stopping them searching upwards like they would if we had duller days.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: AnneB on July 08, 2018, 08:38
My runners and climbing French beans are doing OK.  I put it down to watering and more watering and more watering.   I have also mulched around the base of the plants with home made compost to keep the moisture in.
I did post another thread about my peas and broad beans being shorter than usual and MoS said her peas were the same but plenty of water had got them up to normal height.  So I tried watering more than I had been doing and some of the peas improved.  I decided then to pay more attention to the runners and CFB's too just in case and it seems to have worked.

Will take a pic when I go up later.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: victoria park on July 08, 2018, 10:11
Difficult to tell with my beans as they were late in. Definitely struggling to get a grip around canes. Sweetcorn are doing fabulously obviously, as are the outdoor tomatoes and squash. But the caulis and broccoli are suffering it would appear, may bolt. Potatoes are a smaller crop despite frequent watering.
This is quite extreme weather for us, an inch in 2 months that did nothing to help, and likely to continue, so I have accepted the odd crop or two will suffer.. Not much to be done about it without mega hours of work. This is where bean trenches and mulch can make a small difference, but even then .....
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Christine on July 08, 2018, 10:21
Lots of flowers on broad beans but not setting very high.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: jaydig on July 08, 2018, 10:31
First time ever - blossom end rot on my Marzano tomatoes.  All the other varieties are fine, but two out of three of the Marzano are showing signs of this today.  If I can adjust the watering will the next fruits to set be OK, or is there something else I need to do as well?  Any suggestions folks?
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: JayG on July 08, 2018, 10:45
Blossom end rot isn't a disease, so trying to keep the soil/compost moisture levels as consistent as possible should help reduce the number of affected fruits. If the humidity is too high it affects the uptake of water by the plants, and the fruits are at the end of the water supply chain...  :wacko:
In practice, in a GH/PT, ventilation and not overdoing any damping down can help.

Some of my runner beans are at around the 6-7' mark - what the beans currently setting will be like remains to be seen (in the past they have tended to become stringy in hot weather even when picked small.)

An absolute invasion of pollen beetles here, especially on the courgette flowers - hope they leave some of the pollen for its intended purpose!
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: jaydig on July 08, 2018, 11:13
Thanks for that, Jay.   I think the problem occurred when my hubby had a problem with his koi pond, and the water to the greenhouse was turned off for a couple of days.  I did water, but the automatic timer is better because it gives a more even watering and I admit that although I watered each day, it wasn't necessarily at the time it probably needed it most.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Goosegirl on July 08, 2018, 12:34
My sweet corn in the greenhouse aren't as tall this year but not sure if that's down to insufficient water.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Nana1 on July 08, 2018, 13:21
All my cauliflowers went to seed 8)everything else not to bad at the moment ;)
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: juvenal on July 08, 2018, 19:47
I am traipsing round the neighbourhood with bags of courgettes. Neighbours hide behind the settee when they see me approach. Doors are locked and children hushed.

My courgette plants have gone mad.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: robinahood on July 09, 2018, 04:39
Beetroot is woody,  few strawbs, spinach bolted straight away.No carrots or parsnips, have tried again with those so might get something eventually.
However it looks like a good year for squashes, courgettes etc.
Outdoor toms and peppers are looking good so far,  despite being left to their own devices for 2 weeks!
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: missmoneypenny on July 09, 2018, 21:44
Swiss chard bolted before I got to eat any. Strawberries very unproductive .
French beans, toms, cucumbers, courgettes sweet corn and black currant doing well so far. Garlic also very successful ( autumn planted Provence Wight).
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: DHM on July 10, 2018, 09:02
I inherited a rhubarb plant in my new plot in May and its having a mega year, about to harvest the 3rd bunch of arms, about 15 thick stems. My dads has done well too this year.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Christine on July 11, 2018, 18:40
 the allotment holder isn't doing too well with the heat.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: sunshineband on July 12, 2018, 15:01
My feet ache. Every day I walk up and down, watering and watering and watering and they are really tired now. Really tired.

Hardest hit are new crops to follow on, like red cabbage seedlings etc. I have to make shade shelters for them so they don't burn to a crisp before their roots get going.

We do have plenty of crops to harvest, but boy, are we earning them the hard way this year
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: Aidy on July 15, 2018, 22:13
This is turning out to be a bonkers year!
I am sure some plants have gone into survival mode and are static almost in shock.
Toms are producing tons of fruit but very slow to ripen, only my sweet million cherries are ripening!
Brocolli came and went before we could actually  crop it.
Took the peas up today and they were not the best, fewer pods per plant and peas are ok but not the best.
Cukes are going mental, took 6 off yesterday, 10 today and tonight I noticed 3 more are now ready.
Not sure about my mains spuds, the top growth is dying back now, might just lift one plant to see what they are like.
The beans both climbing and so called dwarf are producing tons now.
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: DHM on July 16, 2018, 10:11
Don't know if it's down to the hot weather or what but my potato plants have produced 'berries' on the top growth. Look a bit like tomatoes, never seen them before. Appears they're poisonous/ useless which is a shame but still a first for me!
Title: Re: What effect is the hot weather having on your...
Post by: mumofstig on July 16, 2018, 10:31
Fruit on potatoes is quite common, but some varieties are more prone to them. The seeds inside can be used to breed new potato varieties, but yes, they are poisonous.