Drought Goes On

As the drought continues in this part of France it is having an ever bigger impact on the crops and plants.  

I'm no expert, but the wheat near to us is only 40cm or so high, whereas from memory it would normally be about twice that height.  Now, it may be that this year's crop is a different variety, but more likely it is linked to the drought, as these fields are not irrigated.

We are continuing to water the vegetable patch, but with temperatures regularly reaching 30°C it is getting beyond us.  Our aim now is not to encourage a crop but just to keep the plants alive so that when it does rain, and there is rain forecast for the next couple of days, they are able to take advantage of it.  On the positive side, there is a lot of fruit and flowers on the plants, including courgettes and peas, but the peas in particular are not developing well within their pods.

Actually, we are now becoming more concerned with the shrubs and trees around the land.  The leaves on the trees are yellowing and falling, and those on the shrubs are wilting.  We are certainly not hopeful for a bumper fruit crop this year, but we do hope that everything survives.

I don't know if it is related to the drought, but there have been gusty winds (Rafale) over the last few days and a lot of small poplar branches have been blown down.  In Montrichard on Wednesday a poplar was blown down across the Rue Nationale, knocking down the power and telephone lines.