Australian growers are accustomed to extreme weather, and this year so far, they have had to deal with their fair share. South Australia saw three or four heatwaves between Christmas and mid-March, while Queensland, Northern Territory, and parts of Victoria have had to deal with massive flooding.
Anthony De Ieso, Thorndon Park Produce grows herbs and bunch vegetables near Adelaide in South Australia, and has been having a tough time coping with the extreme heat in the last few months. He lost his whole coriander crop last month, his dill and curly parsley crops suffered a similar fate, and he said that there was at least 20% cosmetic damage on every crop he grows.
"We lost coriander for two months, and parsley and dill for two weeks," said Anthony. "We have now had enough rain to not need the sprinklers one weekend a couple of weeks ago."
Anthony had to replant all of the crops that were lost to the heat. "Replanting went okay, considering some was done during the third heatwave. Those coriander crops have since been harvested with varying yield results, and the other crops that are still growing are very patchy. However, everything planted after the heat ended has been germinating and growing fine."
Anthony said that they plant weekly as part of the normal schedule, "All crops experienced issues growing during the heatwave, and we have various patches of spring onions, spinach, silverbeet, parsley, etc., that have poor growth because of that."
Despite the heat and interrupted growing cycle, Anthony does not expect any gaps in production.
"Our coriander is back, and we are harvesting all of our lines as per normal: spinach, silverbeet, spring onions, radish, parsley, continental parsley, dill, beetroot, coriander, rosemary, and kale.
"Any cosmetic damage, such as burnt leaves, has been worked through by now. You can see the longer growing crops that have been affected by the heat during their germination and growth stage very easily when you see how patchy their blocks are."
For more information:
Anthony De Ieso
Thorndon Park Produce
Tel.: +61 8280 9722
[email protected]
