Crop Report - 16th April 2021

April Crop Report

Back to School next week!

It’s the second week of Ramadan and field crops poking through!  Peonies foliage up to the knees and looking lush, Mid May still the current estimate! 

Spring has most definitely sprung and fingers crossed that is the last of snow flurries and hailstorms !!

New This Week!

Box Deals

Growers Choice boxes are proving popular and a great way for you to offer a selection of British grown flowers. We are changing the mix sometimes daily (!) to include a selection of the season.

Alstroemeria

  • Alstro... and more Alstro! Great offer on this week with Norfolk 10s.

Ranunculus

  • Ranunculus are included in the return of the Duo Box and have gone over the first flush, some amazing colours coming through!
  • Mini Ranunculus in Rainbow bundles these will start to increase in availability as the crop progresses. Over the next few weeks there will be more slightly smaller heads as we romp through the crop, all the large leaders have been taken now and some fabulous colours coming through. 

Sweet Peas

  • Scented and gorgeous! You may receive with the stems in a small gel bag or wrap. This is nontoxic and eco-friendly and can be washed down the sink without any harmful effect. We are trialling the applications of this and will keep you posted! MORE INFO LATER! Sweet Pea stem lengths are variable as we get further into cropping the growth speeds up and lengths become shorter.

Willow

  • Twisted Willow - perfect for installations or building frames. Plentiful and by the box ! 
  • Wobbly & Pussy willows finished 

Tulips

  • 5-6 weeks of the commercial Tulip growing season remaining, varieties do change as we move into the later plantings. Head sizes are generally around 4cm. This time of year those of you who grow outdoor Tulips are starting to see the fruits of your labour as the natural tulip season blooms. Of course the outdoor bulbs are not forced and are slow grown so will have larger heads. Our grower is cropping ‘green’ so they may look as if they are smaller heads, they just need a few days in water to grow and of course the advantage is the extended vase life.

Irish Foliage

  • Some varieties of Eucalyptus are reducing and will become less plentiful over the next 4-5 weeks as their season draws to a close. Plenty of Buxus, pittosporum and bottlebrush. 

Courier Notice

  • FedEx unfortunately have been experiencing a few service level issues, we have been notified that our account manager contact has changed too. We are working with them as best we can. 
    Please,  if you have experienced a delay with your flowers not arriving by noon do let us know by latest 2pm if they haven’t arrived, this increases the possibility of being able to do something. 
    Some drivers still need “flower handling” skills brushing up - please do your bit by explaining to your local driver how they should carry flower boxes if you can. We are always trying to continually improve and are testing sending some boxes with taped sides rather than strapping to see if this makes any difference to the way the boxes are carried. Please do feedback any observations :) especially those of you with cameras at the door.  😂

Final Field Notes

  • Iris is being grown but despite my best efforts I am still unable to purchase :( volumes for supermarkets are still exceeding programme.
  • One grower said today that they have invested £100k in order to grow additional volumes but needs so many additional bulbs they really need to invest £1m! 
  • This time of year commercial growers are booking their bulbs for next years spring growing season - it seems likely that prices will stay high as volumes are not looking plentiful. It also is looking likely that the issue of bulb / plug plant shortage will continue into next year. 
  • Daffodils are moving into Scottish season but the weather is against the crop. 
  • More stock will be added to the shop on Monday for the rest of the week. As we update the availability in accordance with growers stock levels and fluctuations as a result of weather conditions. 

 

Quote of the Week: 
"And on a final note please do remember we all have a choice." 

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