Author Archives: graham
No Rain……In England???
Here in England we are finding ourselves short of water. That will come as a big surprise to growers from warmer countries. Having said that I note the following ‘facts’ from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_weather_records Highest amount of rain in … Continue reading
United Kingdom – Strawberry Yield Momentum
A recent trip to Kristiansand, Norway to discuss the differences, in exploitation of tunnels, between that country and the UK made the author review some UK production statistics. In 2005 the slide below was used to help illustrate the dramatic impact … Continue reading
Irrigation Required!
At the time of writing growers in England are recovering from the season and planning for 2012. We normally get enough rain for crops such as apples and cherries but 2011 was a very dry year. Tree fruit growers are … Continue reading
15% or “Making September Last Longer”…..
This last two weeks has seen Haygrove Farm in England hosting growers from all over the UK and, latterly, from many other countries as part of our Autumn Open Day series. It has been great to be part of these … Continue reading
More on Pollination!
With all the snow and ice covering Britain and parts of Europe not many will be thinking about pollination. However for those lucky enough to find time to spend in the office or garden shed you may be planning ahead … Continue reading
Cherries – Haygrove in the Garden of England
Last week Haygrove organised a “Specialist Cherry Day” in the Canterbury area of Kent. The day started out 2 miles from the location by chosen by advisers to King Henry VIII as the best place in England to grow cherries! … Continue reading
Solo Tunnel Picture
Just a quick update on the “Fleece & Floating” post of last month….. A photograph was promised. These tunnels have been fitted with polythene that is sufficiently wide to provide a continuous seal along the sides of the tunnel (film … Continue reading
Fleece & Floating
It has been a cold Winter in Britain, just as elsewhere in the northern parts of Europe and Asia. Fruit crops are generally developing later than they have in recent years. It has been suggested that strawberry crops were running … Continue reading
Frosty Florida
With stories of ‘fish kill’ due to unusually low water temperatures in Florida perhaps it was the wrong time to visit! Even Florida has a winter. It has a Winter…..but a very productive one. For a Northern European strawberry grower, Florida … Continue reading
How Many Seasons?
Written from the Eastern Great Lakes areas of North America where tunnels are seen as a route to sustainable farming. Seeking to extend the growing season and make more crops possible for farmers to grow and sell to local outlets … Continue reading