Whether the weather be cold, whether the weather be hot. Whatever the
weather, we’ll weather the weather, whether we like it or not.” This
didactic tongue-twister is as true today as it has ever been. Weather
seems to be wreaking havoc on our lives more frequently (although we
hear less about it just now owing to Covid19 dominating the news). Wet
summer. Stormy too. Sunny September to cheer us up. Poor weather
does have repercussions though and not just on our humour. Our very
existence depends on it as food production varies enormously in different
weather conditions. As climate change becomes ever more prescient, we
need to diversify the foods we grow to make ourselves more resilient. On
a small scale, gardeners can grow more varieties of fruit and vegetables,
while on a larger scale farmers and market gardeners could also
experiment with growing a wider range of crops. This should ensure that
each year, some varieties will flourish, no matter what the weather.