Fen Peas

A lot looked at today. First of all the plant on the trowel has only been in the ground six days. So from top to toe it is growing an inch a day. Incredible growth! Nearly three weeks ago we were at a standstill due to the wet, now look at it. There is moisture at two inches to cut into which is better than 2011. Only three fields left to drill, hoping we will beat the rain. Another inspection of the first field again revealed just how fast things are growing. On Monday it was the odd pod now there are heaps of them. A VIC (Very Important Customer) was on hand to see!

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As suspected the first pea fields have enjoyed basking in the sun and high temperatures and the first pods of 2012 are now showing. There has been huge growth in all crops in the last few days. We have many fields now that look as if they have a large white blanket over them. Lots of flowers! The rush is now on to get the final 500 acres in before the forecast storms of Wednesday and Thursday. Fingers crossed! However, as you can see a little drop of rain would help dampen the dust..

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As previously said peas are growing quickly. The peas pictured on the trowel were drilled 6 days ago! Peas are at last emerging rapidly and the other picture shows peas that were only drilled 11 days ago. Yesterday the gang drilling were very observant and spotted an Oystercatcher nesting in the ploughing with a quite angry mother protecting her eggs. They should be off before harvest or would be difficult to spot in the night. I wonder if our temperatures in the mid 20s are comparable with out Menorcan outpost!

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As the temperatures increase so does the pace of drilling. We are now settled in Boston West and drilling Serge which is going in well. Cutting straight into worked land, into moisture and into warm soil. All the good ingredients to get a crop to grow well. As with all arms of agriculture we are always looking to the next generation of people who will come into the industry, so this morning we hosted a visit by a school from Spilsby. Whilst we could not show them crops being harvested at least we were able to show them the basics. At the end of today we shall be 80% through our drilling plan.

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At this time of year we have been finished drilling 10 days, we now have 75% in the ground. With the warmer temperatures the peas are germinating quickly. If it stays like this there will not be much left at the end of next week. Peas are now coming into flower thick and fast so we can begin to see where we may have any clashes at harvest. As you can see peas that have been in the ground a number of weeks are growing slowly. They should now grow quickly with the higher temperatures and increased sunlight.

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It has been a very busy week. With the low temperatures it was a concern that we would push on too much, but you can see the picture below of peas drilled on Sunday afternoon and the growth that has occurred since then. I think there has been general growth this week but anything underground is growing quickly as it is not subject to the low night time air temperatures. Still got various drills going and in one place are drilling into land leveled in the winter. This is a first for us because it is so wet below the surface, that if we disturb the soil too much it will be impossible to do anything with it.

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At last. After 86 days we have peas in flower. The sun and warmth of the weekend has made its mark with the soil temperatures rising despite the cold overnight values. A few local showers have been a pain today but peas continue to be drilled with Geneva, Serge and Ibis going in with all sorts of drills.

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Ole! At last some wheels turning after the longest lay off from drilling I can remember. Whilst it is still a bit "tender" in places it is going well. With the sun out the soil temperature was on the rise yesterday. We still have a long way to go but once we get Monday and Tuesday out of the way the weather patterns look a bit more settled. Since we last drilled there has been little growth, so while we expect a gap at harvest it may not be that significant. Peas drilled over three weeks ago are only just showing.

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Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks of not being able to drill peas due to the unsettled weather we have had. Stark contrast to last year as you will see from the pictures below. Flower and pods in 2011 and not a hint of a flower one year on to the day. It will be a later start to harvesting, compared to recent years!

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The May Fair has arrived in Boston so there seems little chance now of shaking off this wet spell. It is now 14 days since we last drilled. It seems much longer ago than that. It's very frustrating that you get a glorious day followed by a wet one. Only 4mm has fallen from the sky today but it feels like a lot more. The crops are certainly looking a bit sorry for themselves. The new machine, No 4, was delivered today. Given the weather I think we will soon need Thunderbird 4!

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