Summer at The Garden at DBC

The Community Garden has had a busy summer, coping with unprecedented high temperatures and drought.

Regular daily watering rotas have kept the vegetables alive, but it’s been a challenge.

However, the Downton Larder has been supplied with carrots, salad crops, courgettes and radishes. And there were even some prize winners in the Horticultural Society’s Summer Show. The green beans were late to start but are still cropping. The summer raspberries were very welcome and leeks are growing well for a harvest later in the year.

The tomatoes have struggled with the high temperatures and dry weather. Their skins have concentric and radial cracks - a condition caused by the spikes in heat which speeds up the plant’s growth, but makes the skin less pliable. When the fruit expands after watering, the inside swells faster than the skin can expand. They still taste good though!

The  choice of vegetables to grow has begun to reflect the changing climate, with this year’s good crop of peppers grown outside.  Brace for 2027 -  It’s likely to be even hotter!