Continued dry spell threatens supplies

The UK’s warm, dry spell is threatening to cause difficulties for salad and vegetable growers

Alasdair MacLennan of Southern England Farms said: “It started raining over the past week and it was very much needed. The dry weather was stressing broccoli and slowing cauliflower; the ground was starting to crack.”

Winter cauliflower plantings are running to schedule and courgettes, spring greens and cabbage have been performing well, although sales of brassicas are depressed, as is usual in a heat wave. What growers need now is for warm temperatures to continue with rain overnight, MacLennan believes.

There is a glut of wholehead lettuce on the market. Langmead Farms’ Stuart Hutchins said: “The dry weather and high temperatures have meant good crop quality and availability so we are looking at oversupply in Little Gem, iceberg and romaine, so overall market prices are a little depressed… If the hot weather stays as it is, we could see some heat induced issues such as tip burn or internal breakdown, but there are no signs of it yet.”