14th June 2023
June Kent Produce Update from Kent Veg Box
June has finally added some welcome heat to the fields and we have, fingers crossed, seen the end of the cold nights.
Having said that we heard this week that our friends at LJ Betts were a bit shy of iceberg lettuce due to the cold nights halting growth.
Of course every cloud has a silver lining, except the current ones as there has been no rain. No significant rainfall since early May and this impacts two ways. Not only does it increase costs if you irrigate but it can delay growth and reduce yields. You may recall we had the same situation in September/October last year. Pretty sure most growers know by now that without irrigation growing vegetables is a lottery.
The cold air also shortened the Asparagus season for some growers. Traditionally cropping stops on 21st June to allow the plants to put on some growth by allowing their leaves to bloom. Our supply stopped on 14/6, a week early.
Farming is a constant challenge!
As we progress through June we move on for abundant Salads & Leaf Veg and start to get some early veg. As much as we love a Lettuce, it is good to be able to add some weight to our boxes as the first summer veg appear. One of the first veg to show are Broad Beans, one of our FAVArites…
It’s always a bit of a guess as to what comes next, but this week Beetroot has started cropping; early Beet comes with the leaves on which are great to eat too. We also have some Fennel and, which we are excited about, the return of Kent Carrots to our boxes. We should have some summer Squash/Courgettes by the end of June too.
We were told, nearly 20 years ago when we first started, that Kent Carrots were non-existent – ‘Wrong Soil’. We did find one producer locally back then and we now have a second one on board. Fingers crossed for a prolonged crop and a complete lack of Blackfly.
Soft Fruit has really taken off now, Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries are cropping well. Last year we had some Cherries & Apricots creep into the last week of June but I reckon that might be a struggle this year.
If you’re struggling for ideas on how to use Broad Beans or other June veg we have some ideas here : https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ke...
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Kent Veg Box
We've been delivering Kent veg for over 15 years now, straight from the field to our customers' homes. Simple as that.
