The heatwave has not been kind to assorted vegetables here. I’ve been diligent about watering, so it’s not “drought”, merely “heat”. Air temperatures in this urban heat island have reached the mid-30s, but in the absence of shade some plants have got far too hot. Runner beans in particular flowered prolifically but failed to set beans – a quick online search reveals that “night temperatures above 16°C (61°F) can stop pod set even if the soil is moist” and “daytime temperatures over 90°F (32°C) can cause blossoms to drop“. It’s only the last few days that actual beans have started to appear, as things have been a bit cooler. A bit disappointing, as the variety (Painted Lady) is supposed to be among the more heat-tolerant ones.
As for the tomatoes, “daytime temperatures above 90–95°F (32–35°C) and night temperatures above 75°F (24°C) make pollen sticky or sterile, preventing pollination“, and all the early trusses failed to set. Later trusses have done better, and the Black Russian now has a couple of fruit colouring up, though the nameless orange tomato has nothing but severe blossom end rot on the fruit. I’m going against all advice, and not stopping side shoots or upward growth, to produce more flower trusses and hopefully more fruit – even if they fail to ripen, they’ll be ok for chutney-making.
The courgette is late, as the badger damaged the first planting, so this is a second sowing, but is now starting to show serious signs of fruiting. Only the sweetcorn is looking promising, with the first signs of potential pods appearing.
