While many have been enjoying this summer’s sunshine and temperatures, the extended warm period has proved tricky for local allotment holders.
In between plots of wilting greens, at the Vale parish’s allotments there are several patches of early growing pumpkins, some spotty, discoloured tomatoes, and an array of other ‘weirdly’ shrunken, misshapen vegetables.
‘It’s the heat. It’s got too much. Last year was bad enough but this year’s been horrendous. Everything’s growing weird or getting scorched,’ said Jane King, owner of the allotments along with her husband Andy.
The season has been so bad that Mrs King has seen some plots left abandoned.
‘Some people have said they’ve just not bothered this year.
‘It’s too much.
‘It does make you wonder whether people are going to give it up.
'It is disheartening when you’ve grown something from seed and you see it all wilt. But I think people will adjust.’
Some adjustments Mrs King is already thinking about for next year included earlier planting, adding sun protection to the allotment’s large greenhouse, and potentially turning to different crops all together, a consideration prompted by the crops dotted around that have conversely thrived through the heat.
Such plants include a number of large sunflowers, a well-laden lemon tree, Mrs King’s own grapevines, and her banana tree, which has produced fruit for the first time.
Mrs King is further encouraged about the allotment’s future given the hearty community spirit she still finds around it, despite ongoing weather difficulties and also the high demand she has seen in recent times from people wanting to rent a plot.
‘We have about 15 people on the waiting list now,’ said Mrs King.
‘Some of it’s down to people wanting the extra food because the cost-of-living is ridiculous at the moment. But I think it’s mostly just for the fun of it.
‘It’s people who enjoy it, who want to be outside but maybe don’t have big gardens. And everyone helps each other out, we all learn together.
‘Families come up too and you see the children getting stuck into the dirt, having a lovely time.
‘It’s very important for our local community and people just love it.’
The latest Household Expenditure Survey produced by the States saw almost a third of the households surveyed produce some food at home, including keeping chickens for eggs or growing fruit or vegetables.
More owner-occupiers without mortgages reported producing some food at home than households of other tenures.
There was no significant correlation between food production at home and the amount the household spent on food.