The ground conditions in Ireland in March were very good, the ground was ideal for preparation for sowing. In fact they were almost too good according to Stephen McCormack from McCormack Family Farms who grow herbs and leafy greens.
"There is an Irish saying, you shouldn't start sowing until after St Patrick's Day on 17th March, but we started early on 8th March as the conditions were great. We then very quickly went into drought conditions; it was so dry that the seeds didn't germinate. We didn't have a water supply in the early fields for March /April, as we generally expect it to rain. Instead, we had temperatures of 16-18 degrees, some days were even 20 degrees, but the nights were still cold."
This situation is in total contrast to last year when the fields were so waterlogged the ploughing didn't start until 15th April.
© McCormack
"Despite the early start, we are not much further ahead than last year due to the dry conditions and cold nights. I'd say our outdoor spinach will be around 10 days earlier than last year. We have had some good rain in the last two weeks, and the crops are looking well, but we have gone from very dry ground to saturated ground, so we can't plant or sow until it dries out a bit now. But I expect to be back on track next week."
The weather forecast is looking good, so Stephen hopes to get going as soon as possible.
In the off-season, McCormack Farms imports products from Spain and Italy.
"The Spanish supply of baby leaf will end in about a week and herbs about 3 weeks and we will continue with Italian product until mid-May. We have just started with our own indoor Pak choi production and some mint, spinach will be available in 10 days with the rest following soon after."
For more information:
Stephen McCormack
McCormack Family Farms
Tel.: +353 46 902 56 95
Email: stephen@mccormackfarms.ie
www.mccormackfarms.ie