Flooding

Just been to my allotment which is beside the Thames at Lechlade & it's under 1' of water.

When the water recedes will veg such as parsnips, celeriac etc. be edible? Also will fruit survive? I have raspberries, strawberries, currants & rhubarb (not a fruit).

A lot will depend on how quickly the water recedes.

I assume you mean river water has flooded your plot and in that case would worry about what came down with the water. Where river water has caused problems up here in the North it is a write off.
Normal rain water floods you may salvage some things, water is running off the fields around us and the new sowing of rape is looking very sad.

Frank.

My allotment has been flooded twice when the ground is workable again will i have to put lots af fertilizer back into the soil ?

Lyn

lyn perry wrote (see)

My allotment has been flooded twice when the ground is workable again will i have to put lots af fertilizer back into the soil ?

Lyn

Depends how bad the flooding has been-but a lot of nutrieint will have been washed through- so probably-yes

Flood water may be contaminated with sewerage.I am not sure how that would affect the root crops.Our area in Somerset has just had too much rain and crops are just rotting.All gardeners will have to replace lost nutrients in the Spring.So much continuous rain will have left the soil compacted and lifeless.

Driving around Somerset in the last few days, I noticed how bad it smelt in various places - presumably rotting crops and other vegetation and stuff left behind by floods. It's painful to think about how people are suffering losses and damge from this weather.

Yes you are right - there is a distinct smell of rotting vegetation. Add the mosquitoes, and rats to the list. Just watched a rat helping itself to my bird food. When everywhere is flooded, head for the high ground! It seems to be nesting alongside my pond. EEK!