Heatwave’s spectacular crop of fruit
THE heatwave is leading to the best and earliest harvest of late summer crops such as apples, grapes, tomatoes and even olives in years, experts said.
The Royal Horticultural Society said it was expecting its best-ever late summer apple crop at its gardens at Wisley, Surrey.
Bumper crops of many late summer fruit and berries are the result of the cold weather earlier in the year holding back blossom, which when it flowered did not suffer from any late frosts.
This was followed by hot, sunny conditions which have led to a bountiful harvest and kept pests and diseases at bay.
Fruit flavours are set to be enhanced by the sunlight, which has boosted sugars and the other ingredients that deliver tasty produce, the RHS said.
Guy Barter, RHS chief horticulturalist, said: “After a disappointing 2017, we’re extremely fortunate that this year everything has come together to produce an incredible bounty of pears, plums, apples, tomatoes, grapes, berries, olives and all sorts of other delicious edibles all over the UK.
“Thankfully, the Beast from the East actually helped by holding back the blossom and there were no late frosts, which meant we had an explosion of spring flowers.
“Since then, the heat and sunlight has furnished the required energy for the extraordinary abundance of crops we’re seeing now and we would strongly urge people to get gathering and enjoy the best harvest we’ve seen in years!”
He added: “Some fruit such as apples may have suffered drought stress or caught sunburn, but those that haven’t will have soaked up the sun and be all the juicier and more tasty for it.”
It is not just conventional crops such as apples that are doing well, he said, with figs delivering an “amazing” crop at RHS Harlow Carr in Yorkshire.
However, not everyone is happy with this year’s harvest.
Growers of a rare prized plum fear a shortage after their fruit was hit by extreme weather in March.
The Beast from the East cold blast and the subsequent summer heatwave have both stunted the crop of the sweet-tasting Welsh Denbigh plum.
Plum-growers fear the shortage could hit their bid for EU-protected status for the fruit – to rank the Denbigh plum alongside Champagne and Parma ham.
The plum has been grown in the Vale of Clwyd for 230 years but is facing a tough time this season.
Denbigh Plum Group secretary Nia Williams said: “It’s one of the best-tasting plums you will ever have. It goes back to 1785 and has a long history in this area.”
Nia appealed for householders with plum trees in their gardens to allow the group to pick them to put on display in their 10th annual festival.
Beer brewer Alyn Ashworth says he hopes the Denbigh plum, which he uses in his produce, will secure EUprotected delicacy status alongside Welsh lamb, laverbread and Anglesey sea salt.
He said: “We’ve been very fortunate because we’ve found just enough, but it has been a struggle.”