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Warmer weather than usual means that the UK has grown strawberries, aubergines and tomatoes weeks earlier than expected. It could be a sign of things to come in the next few decades.
The climate crisis is changing our relationship with fruit and vegetables, altering our calendar schedules and making it harder to predict when crops will be ready.
Thanks to a particularly warm May in the UK this year, an influx of strawberries, aubergines and tomatoes has surprised growers, arriving weeks earlier than usual. This has helped to fill the ‘hungry gap’ that usually occurs around this time of year.
Speaking to The Guardian, a grower from Bristol called Nick Haigh said that many of his farm’s Mediterranean vegetables had come much earlier than expected. ‘I feels like the middle of May already,’ he explained. ‘We have loads of crops right now and we are crazy busy already. We are feeling the push right now.’
The ‘hungry gap’ is usually when winter vegetables have all been eaten or sold, and consumers are anticipating summer crops. This extra time with no new fruits is where the ‘gap’ is supposed to exist.
Spring has already been both sunny and very dry. Temperatures are predicted to reach up to 30C at the earliest time of year ever recorded in 2025, according to forecasters. This is a direct result of climate change.
In fact, the changing weather patterns and increased likelihood of extreme events is making it more difficult for farmers and growers to accurately predict when their crops will be ready to pick.
‘You just can’t predict the climate any more,’ said Nick. ‘We are having to try to be more adaptable to different techniques based on the climate. It’s keeping us on our toes for sure.’
With all the warm weather, growers are seeing healthy, thriving crops that are good for business and vital to keep livelihoods afloat. There were delays due to last year’s winter being the wettest on record, and there were worries about this year’s supplies.
