Wet ground delays spring vegetable planting

Christmas dinner could cost more because of the present long spate of wet weather.

Hawke's Bay grower Robert Joe, of Clive, said new potatoes, sweetcorn, lettuces, cabbages and cauliflowers could be in short supply in regions where growers could not get into their fields.

Market gardeners do not like to work their fields with tractors while the soil is soaked because it can lead to compaction of air spaces between the soil particles.

"We are way behind in our plantings and there will be a gap in supply which will coincide with Christmas," he said.

While fresh vegetable supplies could be supplemented from elsewhere, they would be more expensive

Even if the sun came out tomorrow, he estimated it would be at least a week before he could begin working up his fields.

The constant rain has delayed the planting of onions, early squash, peas, barley and beetroot process crops.

Kevin Richardson, of J M Bostock, said its onions were all planted in the autumn but early squash planting was well behind.

The company should have had 250ha planted by now but was nowhere near that figure.

Vegetable Federation Hawke's Bay branch president Michael Hill said growers would be "working a lot harder when it does fine up".

"I hope there are enough tractors around to get it all in."

Most crops were grown on contract so a price rise was unlikely.

Tim Averill, who grows spring onions said he aimed to have 40ha planted by yesterday but so far had planted none. Onions responded to day length so timing of planting was critical.

"If we can't get them in on time, then we'll have to plant something like corn or maize which are much lower value crops."

Brownrigg Agriculture's Jonathan Brownrigg said it was still early for most of their cropping programme but onions were delayed.

But the constant rain clouds had one silver lining - at least for the Brownriggs' pastoral operation.

"The hills are in great order and the grass will grow well when the sun comes out."

Stonefruit growers are concerned the rain could mean poor pollination as the bees stay home.

Trees are in full bloom and cold, wet weather is the last thing growers need after a poor harvest last year because of poor winter chilling and killer spring frosts. For pipfruit growers the problem is getting out on to their orchards to spray for fungal diseases. Some growers were using helicopters to avoid soil compaction and rutting.

- NZPA