from drought to deluge

After the serious lack of rain at critical times for some of the crops earlier in the year we are now in a  situation up here where stuff is standing in puddles of water. The last two days of more or less continuous rain is likely to end up doing more harm than good unless we get some real sunshine fairly soon.

The onion tops have bent over as they start to ripen but the plants and everything around them are waterlogged. If they don't dry out it creates a perfect breeding ground for all manner of fungal diseases.

Potato containers are standing in water so the rain can’t drain through the compost - it just sits there. Don’t you just love the uncertainty of it all.

I suppose my one crumb of comfort is that because I have small beds reachable from paths I don’t have to stand on the waterlogged soil to harvest anything.

potatoes standing in water. I've cut the tops off prior to lifting

On a brighter note I found two ripe strawberries lurking under the foliage. This means that my strawberry season has extended to fourteen weeks although two fruits hardly constitutes a harvest. Next year I intend to get half a dozen of the ever-bearing type to further extend the season.