]It’s official: this has been the wettest summer ever in parts of Scotland. I certainly can’t remember getting less from the kitchen garden for many a year or sitting outside so seldom. A cool, damp spring keenly followed by a super soggy summer have been devastating in the garden. And to add to the mix, overnight temperatures were very low for early July, challenging newly planted tender summer plants.

The result was disastrous for soft fruit. Can you believe that even currants were victims? My huge self-sown blackcurrant next to the burn yielded a fraction of its normal bumper harvest. Cool wet conditions meant there were hardly any pollinators around.


Our summer crops have been unbelievably late. The courgettes grew at a sepulchral pace while French and runner beans crawled up their poles so that I could only start harvesting a couple of weeks ago.


So what can we do? We’ll have to write off a few crops, but some protection can help the rest. My greenhouse and polytunnel plants have yielded quite well as the warmth and vital shelter has let tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers yield very nicely, even if the lack of sun made some tomatoes a bit less tasty than usual.


Climate change is promising erratic weather conditions, with ghastly wet grey summers as well as glorious sunny ones on the cards. So, with space and a little cash, you could confidently prepare for a rerun of this year by investing in one or two of the many protection systems on offer.

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Most of the mini cold frames and tunnels offered by highly reputable firms, like Harrod Horticulture, don’t come cheap but they are very sturdy, reliable and long-lasting.

With a smaller garden, you might reckon that smaller frames meet your needs but they do take a little management. Lean-to tomato houses must be shut up at night, but if there’s a hint of sunshine, the door must be left open during the day. This applies to the mini cold frames designed to harden off any greenhouse seedlings or to simply grow smaller plants in a sheltered place.  During a downpour, open the lid just off the horizontal to allow for air circulation, but preventing the rain from flattening the young plants.


Galvanised steel cloche hoops offer good crop protection in a bed and can be built to whatever length you like. I use them on 10x1m beds, but they’d be fine for 1 or 2m. The frames are very versatile: use different covers as bird or insect protection. During cold weather or when you want to warm the soil before planting, use thick clear plastic, remembering it must be pulled back during the day if the bed is planted.


If you’re out all day, fleece is a good option as it can stay on all the time. The fleece cover provides a warm, wind-free environment, as well as acting as a pest barrier but the temperature is much the same as outside. But do check plantings under the fleece quite regularly: slugs and mice could have a field day and weeds would be unrestrained.

Plant of the week
(Image: Brightness)

Symphyotrichum Novae-Angliae ‘Brightness' is a Michaelmas Daisy, New England Aster that grows to 1.2m so a little shorter than many. The stiff, almost woody stems should not need much staking. Its vivid magenta pink flowers make a big statement and will attract autumn butterflies like Peacocks and Red Admirals.