Benedict Vanheems
Throw open the door/s on hot days
When I was a youngster I spent most of my summer holidays toiling in a plant nursery. It was a great place to hone my plant identification skills and indulge my passion for anything with leaves. On a hot day, however, working inside the polythene tunnels where many of the plants were grown on was akin to exercising… in a sauna! Soaring temperatures conspired with high humidity to turn up the sweat. By break time I’d be more than ready to down a pint of water or two and relish the cool of the break room!
FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT!
The same is true of the fruits and vegetables we grow under cover in our gardens or on our allotments. If temperatures are left to soar beyond their level of comfort they’ll suffer, initially wilting and potentially suffering irreparable damage. Your job as horticultural home-maker is to draw the blinds, open the windows and cool your crops down so they’re happy and healthy.
Even on a relatively benign day, direct sunlight can lead temperatures to climb dramatically within a greenhouse or polytunnel – in some cases a whole 10°C higher. So while it may seem like a pleasant enough day in the greenhouse your plants may be under significant stress. Even heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers that relish the extra warmth earlier on in the season, can shut down in extreme heat. The good news is it’s very easy to keep your cool when the mercury heads north through a combination of good ventilation, judicious shading and plenty of water.