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Hot spell and the veg garden...

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  • 25-06-2018 10:38pm
    #1
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,452 ✭✭✭


    Iv never had a proper veg garden during a hot spell, so I'm wondering how will it affect the crops? Will they crop and finish early? Are there many that will give a second crop? How often are you watering?


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    #2
    prinzeugen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,891 ✭✭✭prinzeugen


    scarepanda wrote: »
    Iv never had a proper veg garden during a hot spell, so I'm wondering how will it affect the crops? Will they crop and finish early? Are there many that will give a second crop? How often are you watering?

    Water the ground, dont get water on any foliage. And do it daily, twice a day if needed.

    Some stuff will grow bigger/quicker but it is all down to how much water you put in the ground.

    We got 2 crops of potatoes in one season before as the first main crop only took 11 weeks.

    Clean away any dead leaves from under cabbages, turnips etc as they will rot quickly and could cause problems.


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    #3
    Hocus Focus
    Registered Users Posts: 754 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    Certain crops, spinach and beetroot, for instance, will bolt, (go to seed), if they don't get enough water.


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    #4
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,452 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    I don't have either of those veg growing, but my rocket bolted a few weeks ago so i pulled it all apart from a couple of plants i purposely let go to flower. A few of the onions bolted, but i seem to have gotten on top of that. The Shallots seem to be finishing up and i have a decent crop of peas. Aside from those and the lettuce nothing is really ready to use yet, but all going good. I'm trying to give them a good watering every couple of days without taking the piss. I'm not in the hoseban area, but supplies in both local towns have been restricted, so i am a little worried about what to do if we do get a hosepipe ban imposed. Iv put a lot of work into the garden in general, but in particular the vegetables and it would be a pity to see it die off. But such is life.


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    #5
    Hocus Focus
    Registered Users Posts: 754 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    scarepanda wrote: »
    .... i am a little worried about what to do if we do get a hosepipe ban imposed. .
    There is no restriction on the use of watering cans, but doing it that way will naturally reduce the use of water to the minimum level necessary to sustain the plants.

    My opinion is that there is a distinction between the waste of water and the legitimate use of it. Gardening, generally, contributes significantly to the physical and psychological wellbeing of the nation.


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    #6
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,452 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    Ya, that's true alright. I haven't that many flowers in general, most of my work this year has been tidying up the back garden, making it toddler friendly and obviously getting the veg garden going. Everything that I have been watering is edible, with the exception of 3 plants in small pots, so I don't feel awful bad, but still a little worried. Iv wanted to install water butts, but was holding off because we are renting the house we live in, but I'm looking into installing some this autumn now.


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    #7
    Hocus Focus
    Registered Users Posts: 754 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    scarepanda wrote: »
    Ya, that's true alright. I haven't that many flowers in general, most of my work this year has been tidying up the back garden, making it toddler friendly and obviously getting the veg garden going. Everything that I have been watering is edible, with the exception of 3 plants in small pots, so I don't feel awful bad, but still a little worried. Iv wanted to install water butts, but was holding off because we are renting the house we live in, but I'm looking into installing some this autumn now.
    When you install them, put aside the landlord's existing downpipe and buy a new section to install them, then you can reinstate the original setup if/when you move.


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    #8
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,452 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    thats a good idea! thankfully our landlord wont care as long as we repair/fix it if/whenever we move out. Its more the cost of buying and installation along with the insecurity of renting. id be installing them into the last corner of the back garden that needs to be fixed up, and im trying to do it for as cheap as possible.


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