Drought and nature's bounty

The blackberries round here are tiny and already shrivelled and dead. Over the last two or three years the harvest of
blackberries has promised great things, but at the last minute torrential rains have turned them to pulp. Haven't been able to gather many for a quite a while.

Our fruit crop looked promising, but the June drop has continued, I think the ground is so dry that the trees are shedding fruit to help them survive. I think it must depend on the microclimate within each garden.

I’m about to pull my runner beans up they were well watered no bugs this year but hardly any beans very poor crop.
I went berry hunting at my usual place this morning loads of Blackberries but they are small hard and not juicy at all, last year I picked pounds to make jam but we’ve had barely any rain for the last month it’s such a shame as the bushes are loaded with berries.

We've had no rain to speak of since about last October. Our garden looks like a desert and has done for over a month. We don't grow veg but what looked like a mass of apples has been falling steadily for the last few weeks. We did get a few blueberries, and would have got more if the birds hadn't snaffled them before we got there, but the last ones shrivelled and dried. The crab apples looked promising but they also mainly fell off or shrivelled. Shrubs that have happily survived neglect and lack of rain for the last thirty years since we planted them are brown and withered. Our drive is covered with acorns that have been falling for the last few weeks from the nearby oak

tanith

I’m about to pull my runner beans up they were well watered no bugs this year but hardly any beans very poor crop.
I went berry hunting at my usual place this morning loads of Blackberries but they are small hard and not juicy at all, last year I picked pounds to make jam but we’ve had barely any rain for the last month it’s such a shame as the bushes are loaded with berries.

You could try making blackberry (bramble) jelly, delicious but not full of pips. The berries might need longer cooking, perhaps adding some lemon juice to help the set.

The berries have been better this year, blackberries from the garden particularly good. The brambles were here on the plot when we bought the house and DH has nurtured them.
Courgettes galore and the beans are just coming on despite not watering them much.
We did have some rain yesterday.

No plums at all, they flowered too early and the new apple trees are very slow to grow and produce anything.

There may be a hosepipe ban soon, though.

We have been watering the raised beds so beetroot, carrots and salads are fine so far. Everything in the garden is struggling. Onions sown from seed are already bending over and are not very big. Runner beans are poor but the french beans seem to be coping better. The June drop of apples hasn't stopped. The early raspberries were good but the later ones really don't look very healthy. I think the cabbage, sprouts etc. will be ok if we get some rain soon. I would hate not to get a crop having spent quite a lot on mesh to foil the cabbage whites.

We bought two thornless blackberry plants. One has died and the other has a few small ripening fruit.

I ve watered regularly and had a very good crop of runner beans and peas courgettes onions and potatoes Had a huge load of strawberries but the raspberries were nearly non existent My gooseberries were plentiful but small compared to other years
Oh don’t mention cabbage whites how ever I cover my greens they always get through ?

The June drop of apples hasn't stopped.

Same here. I tried eating them but they're under ripe and very sour. I've put bucketfuls in the compost bin and there's barely an apple left on the trees. Pear tree laden with fruit though.

RichmondPark1

*The June drop of apples hasn't stopped.*

Same here. I tried eating them but they're under ripe and very sour. I've put bucketfuls in the compost bin and there's barely an apple left on the trees. Pear tree laden with fruit though.

Can you make an apple jelly or apple butter with them?

I do miss having a crop of Bramleys. Our tree fell down and the new one is very slow to produce anything.

Runner beans didn't survive the 30 degree C heat here, just dehydrated on the canes, but there had been a very poor show of flowers earlier too.

Beetroot and courgettes are doing well. We are eating and preserving lots of ripe cherry tomatoes.

I need to get out and about to have a look at the blackberries around here. We scouted out some likely places when we moved last year so hopeful!

Cabbage whites are enjoying my Brussel sprouts but I think there's enough leaf left to power up a few buttons.

BlueBelle debris netting is what you need for those pesky cabbage whites, properly secured, they won’t get in, promise. Took me 12 years to discover it, game changer.