As you select your fruit and veg from the supermarket shelves, do you ever wonder how they got there? What perils faced the humble lettuce or the vibrant cherry to get from plant to your plate?
All was revealed to Mendip Gardening Club, when Sue Applegate gave her fascinating and thought-provoking talk last month.
The produce in question is all grown here in the UK, with different areas of the country being suited to different crops. Did you know, for example, that sweetcorn production centres are only in one area of the country, an area of Sussex, near Lewis, or that Bramley apples love growing in Northern Ireland?
Having survived the unpredictable British weather, which can hasten or delay cropping by weeks, harvesting is the next challenge.
Though asparagus is still gathered by hand (contributing to its cost), huge strides forward have been made to facilitate efficient picking of the crops, making life a whole lot easier and safer for the workers, who now go into the fields on lettuce cutting rigs or mobile elevated working platforms.
Or how about avoiding the weather completely? Take a look at Kent’s Thanet Earth, the country’s biggest greenhouse covering 220 acres, growing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
And Sue’s final message? Support our farmers and “Buy British.”
The next meeting of Mendip Gardening Club is on Wednesday, 18th January, when David Burgess will be talking about ‘The Spirit of the Japanese Garden’. We meet at Ston Easton Village Hall at 7.30 p.m., non-members welcome.
Gillian Hipwood