When it comes to growing food, either on the farm or in our own homes, weather and climate play a deciding role in what and when we can grow, and how successful our harvest will be.
In this episode of the Met Éireann Podcast, Noel and Liz explore how different weather conditions affect the growth of plants, how can we work with the weather to help produce our crops and how might climate change influence the way we grow food.
Director and Farm manager with Keogh’s, Derek Keogh, shares his experience of how the drought of 2018 and the wet summer of 2012 impacted planting, growth and yields at Keoghs. He also shares his top tips for growing potatoes at home – including the perfect time to harvest them.
To dig a little more into the science behind how weather influences the growth of plants and crops, Dr. Michael O’Donovan, Head of Grassland Research at Teagasc, explains the essentials that plants need to grow and tells us about a world leading grass growth prediction model developed by Teagasc and used all over the country by farmers.
Finally Dr. Klara Finkele, Head of Agricultural Meteorology at Met Éireann highlights the range of weather products farmers and food growers can access to support them in making the best decisions for their crops and plants. Klara also discusses how changes in our climate may affect agriculture here in Ireland.
Follow Met Éireann’s daily Farming Commentary or tune into the weekly farming forecast on Sundays at 1.08pm on RTÉ One or on RTÉ Player.
The Irish version of this episode – ‘Clár a ceathair – Tionchar na haimsire ar fhás bia’– is out now also.
Listen below and check out previous monthly episodes of the Met Éireann Podcast – be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.