Windy Weather - Allotment Fears

By James Middleton - Added 27th of June 2008

All hope of a good squash crop is squashed by unseasonal winds!

More trouble I'm afraid. This time, it's not the birds or too much rain, it's the wind!

Is it me, or is it a little windy this year? So far the strong gusts during May and June have managed to finish off my young courgettes and marrows - I have lost nearly 80%. Most of the squash family (courgettes (US - zucchini) marrows, pumpkins, butternut squashes, etc) have very brittle stems which can easy be snapped just above the root. Theres no coming back from that!

Protect your squashes!

One thing you might want to consider (if only I did earlier this year) is to ensure that you plant your gourds next to a fence or hedge; somewhere they will be protected from the winds. I have also heard that beach wind breakers are very successful at preventing damaging gales. Covering them with fleece also helps and keeps them warm.

For the time being, I have created a few wind-breaks using a number of wooden posts and some thick clear polythene (some nice person dumped it in a ditch for my collection. God bless fly-tippers!).

So far, it seems to have worked. The winds are still howling and the remainder of the crop is holding in and producing new leaves.

Other things happening on the Middleton allotment

I didn't mention it before, but now the pain is easing off, I feel ready to talk about it. Early in this month (June 2008), the day after boasting to a neighbouring allotmenteer, about the size and glossy beauty of my Pak Choi (Chinese Cabbage), I found that over night the entire crop of 40-50 plants had been reduce to white stems by what I believe was the birds. They had also had a good peck at my other Brassicas - Greyhound Cabbage, Red Cabbage and Sprouts. I was a little bit upset.

Never mind, I've learnt my lesson now. So far, although the weather has been against me - all things that crawl'th or is wing'd has not, until now that is. As a reaction to this carnage, I have erected nettling over all of my Brassicas and just about anything else that could be considered as food by anything other than myself. So far, so good. It has been 3 weeks now and my cabbages and sprouts have recovered. The Pak Choi doesn't look too healthy though. Although some of the leaves have returned, most plants are starting to run to seed. I was hoping to see a few fresh side shoots turning to something viable for the pot, but no such luck. Still, may be next year.

Credits & Links

Article written by James Middleton - www.theallotmentgarden.co.uk.

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