Sussex Coriander
English coriander from planting right through to harvest
The fact that this report is being sent out in December is not due to Tommy putting his feet up! We promise. It is a case of extremely testing growing conditions from planting right through to harvest.
April and May in Sussex were unseasonably cold with a number of frosts throughout both months. This meant that the planting of the coriander crop was delayed until 2nd June. Usually, the crop is planted around the middle of April. This is because coriander needs warmth in the ground to germinate.
Once planted it was a case of combing through the various weather apps everyday trying to find at least one which showed a glimmer of hope of some long overdue sunshine! It really was a terrible summer for sun and warmth. This stunted the already late crop.
Harvest pushed back
This pushed back harvest into November and not even Jeremy Clarkson is mad enough to harvest then! However, we managed to summon Andrew (our brave combine driver) to tackle the ‘slippery’ conditions and harvest at a snail’s pace completing the 41 acres between 12th – 14th November.
We already had use of an on-field dryer last year and it was certainly put through it’s paces this year. Tommy is still having nightmares about the drying costs but at least a crop was harvested and sent to the cleaners at the end of the month.
High quality coriander
There are some positives though. The crop has now been cleaned, the smell and quality is absolutely fantastic albeit with a below average yield.
Unfortunately, because of the poor yield, the price will be higher this year than the prices out of Russia, Bulgaria and Morocco. However, the quality is better and we hope it is a project the gin industry will continue to support.
Get in touch
We would be delighted to hear from you if you feel you may have interest in acquiring a particular quantity as the seed is now being used by a huge number of distilleries including some major brands.
Please contact Tommy on 07900 244 939 or email .
