Thought you were hot? Peas are latest heatwave victims
Adding to the pleasure of days at the beach and splashing around in paddling pools comes news the heatwave is disrupting production of peas and carrots – not usually the most popular item on a youngster’s dinner plate.
A lack of rain has led to British farmers predicting a pea shortage, with plants attacked by a plague of pests and pods drying out.
And the carrot crop has been hit by a double whammy. After the Beast from the East delayed planting in freezing February and March, the heatwave is now affecting growth.
Forecasters offer no relief for farmers as the hot, dry weather is predicted to continue into next week. It had been suggested that tropical storm Chris could hit the UK with strong winds and rain but the weather system appears to have stalled in the Atlantic.
Britain’s pea crop is wilting in our boiling summer and the heat is also ideal for creepy crawlies such as the pea moth and bruchid beetle, which feast on pea and bean plants.
Franek Smith, president of the British Edible Pulses Association, told trade magazine The Grocer: ‘Though the life cycle of the plant means they die in the field and dry out before harvest, the hot weather is forcing them to die before they reach maturity.
‘The peas have only just formed in their pods, so stopping growth now means there are fewer and smaller peas. The number of pods is also reduced as top flowers have aborted production due to the weather.’
Carrot producers have similar problems, having suffered the ‘perfect storm’ of poor conditions this year, said Rodger Hobson, chairman of the British Carrot Growers’ Association. ‘Firstly, we had the Beast from the East which produced excess rain throughout spring, delayed planting by a month and reduced the growing season by around 18 per cent,’ he said. ‘Then we have had the hottest summer since 1976.
Carrots typically grow best at temperatures of 15C to 18C (59F to 65F), but with the thermometer regularly hitting the 30s this summer, Mr Hobson said they ‘have stopped growing and are wilting in the fields’.
Forecasters are predicting plenty of sunshine and highs of 31C (88F) across the UK over the weekend. The simmering temperatures are set to continue on Monday, although there could be scattered showers in the North.
Tropical storm Chris is no longer a threat. A MeteoGroup spokesman said it was in the Atlantic and ‘not likely to reach our shores’.