I wish I could command the weather

Emma, aged four, was feeling hot and bothered this morning in 28 degree heat, fed up with hot car journeys, sunhats and liberal applications of suncream. ‘Mummy’, she said, ‘can we have a little bit of winter now?’ I’m touched that she still thinks Mummy is omnipotent enough to have a say in the matter. But, looking at our brown grass and dry field, I do rather wish that I could command the weather- I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for four weeks of unbroken sunshine, you understand, but some rain would really come in handy. Wimbledon’s over and the schools haven’t quite broken up- surely a cool spell and a few heavy showers aren’t going to spoil anyone’s fun? The veg would love a good drink, and soft, wet soil would be so much easier for planting leeks out and pushing in beanpoles…

Our grower Bev joined Village Greens in April and has hardly seen a drop of rain since, but has various methods for drought-proofing our crops. Most surprising, perhaps, is not to overwater- she is careful to hold back on watering plants once they are established, so they grow long root systems to seek out water for themselves. Her planting plans avoid bare earth where possible, using infill plants like clover or phacelia as ‘green manures’ and to provide cool shade for crop roots. Lawn mowings all go onto the runner bean beds as a dampening mulch, all in the hope of keeping Village Greens green!

10 July 2010