Gardening to cope with the changing weather

The last few years have not been particularly good years for growing crops. This year has probably been one of my most unsuccessful years ever.  I am normally harvesting and eating most of my food out of the garden by now, but this year pickings are meagre, and only a handful of crops are doing well. I am seriously thinking about how I am going to have to alter how I garden to cope with the changing weather, especially the increase in rain.

The weather is definitely changing.  Whether you believe that it is due to climate change, weather manipulation, or just a natural occurrence, it is something that we are all going to have to cope with if we want to grow food.  The weather is hitting farmers hard and so the supply of crops will decrease this year and therefore prices will inevitably increase.  It is therefore a good idea to have a back up and grow your own but it can make one very despondent if the crops that you have planted are failing. Here are a few ways to garden that might help and that I am starting to incorporate into my food growing.

1. Build raised beds if possible. They tend to drain a lot better than the flat ground and so reduce rot.   It has rained so much here recently that a lot of bare ground is water logged. We have built mine higher to reduce my bending as I get older.  The logs and sticks at the bottom definitely help with drainage.  I have also used old windows on the top to help with germination and to keep the warmth in the beds as it has been very cold here in Yorkshire.  My germination rate really improved when I started doing that.
2. Grow salad leaves under glass to stop them being battered down by rain and hail stones. It is important to remember to take the windows or glass off on a hot, sunny day or else they will scorch leaves.
3. Next year I am going to grow more crops that can cope with the cold. This year my potatoes, spinach, carrots and beetroot have been very successful and not bothered by the cold.  I don’t usually plant what I consider to be winter crops but I think that I am going to start this year.
4. I have sown my crops more gradually this year (every couple of weeks rather than all at once) and so when some have failed or been eaten by slugs, I have more growing ready to be planted.  If I have had too many of anything I have been able to swap or sell seedlings as other people’s crops have failed.
5. I have grown crops under cover for longer before planting them outside.  This has meant that the slugs have left them alone and that they are stronger.  I will put them out during the day and then shelter them at night.  I grow mostly in tubs and so this is easier for me.  Fleece could be applied at night for those growing in the ground.
6. Have patience. It might look like your crops have stopped growing or are looking unhealthy but don’t just pull them up.  Give them time.  My courgettes have looked like they were failing for the past 7 weeks but at last they have quite a few fruit on them.
7. Fertilise the crops, pots and beds more regularly as all the wet weather washes the nutrients away.  I have noticed more yellowing of leaves this year.
8. Use a poly tunnel if possible.  I am seriously thinking of digging some bushes out to make a poly tunnel for next year.  This provides a warmer environment and so a longer season, but also protects the crops from anything that could be falling down from the sky (you might want to read about chem trails and how technology is being used in the name of the green agenda.  Minute fragments of metals and chemicals are being used to reflect the heat from the earth and apparently protect it.  It is now being openly admitted and is no longer a conspiracy theory).
9. Have water butts to collect the free rain to water the poly tunnel, crops under glass and greenhouses.
10. Be prepared to fertilise some of the fruit and vegetables yourself.  I do it with a cotton bud.  The bees are often not out during cold, wet weather and my greenhouse is closed most of the time to keep it warm and so insects can not enter.
11. Have a pond in the garden and encourage frogs and toads into the garden to help with the increased slugs.  Be prepared to have a daily routine first thing to collect slugs and snails.
12. Grow more fruit bushes and trees.  These will help drain the water and reduce soil erosion.  I am also netting my bushes earlier and whilst the fruit is still green as the pigeons are seeming to be more hungry over the last few years.
13. I had an allotment that was prone to flooding and so I used to dig little ditches to help the water drain away and mound up the soil a bit that I planted in.
14. Dig less and use mulch and compost on top of your beds to help with drainage and reduce damage to the soil.  The worms that are attracted to the organic material will form little tunnels which will help drain the soil.
15. Adapt what and how you grow, and what you eat.  This year I have grown less peppers and have kept more tomatoes inside to try and get a decent crop.  I am growing more Swiss Chard that is quite resilient, and more climbing beans as the dwarf and French beans do not seem to be enjoying the climate in Yorkshire at all this year.
16. Don’t give up.  Every year some crops fail and some do not.  It is different crops each year.  Last year my raspberries only filled 3 bags for the freezer, this year should be a bumper harvest. Learn to preserve and make the most of the crops that you do grow and reduce waste.  Teas can be made with fruit bush leaves, onion powder with onion skins, stalks of broccoli can be cut up and put in stews or stir fry.  Beetroot leaves can be used in salads, Swiss chard can be used like spinach, carrot tops make a great pesto, pumpkin seeds can be roasted and used as a snack.  We have got this!  There are so many ways to adapt and make the most of what you can grow.