First Olive Grove Known In British History Planted In Devon - Independent

[hatrack]

In one of the most remarkable signs yet of the advance of global warming, Britain's first olive grove has been planted in Devon. Temperatures have risen so far in recent years that it is now considered possible to grow the iconic fruit of the Mediterranean countries commercially in southern England.

Several studies have suggested that, in decades to come, olives, vines and other warm-climate plants will be likely to flourish in a substantially warmer Britain. Now a Devon smallholder has taken the plunge and, in partnership with an Italian olive specialist, planted a grove of 120 olive trees on the banks of the river Otter near Honiton.

Mark Diacono, who is establishing a "climate change farm" on his land, intends his olives to be a commercial crop which will produce Britain's first home-grown olive oil, in five to seven years. He has planted them in co-operation with an Italian gardener living in England, Emilio Ciacci, who has provided the trees from the hills near his home at Maremma, Tuscany.

A 39-year-old environmental consultant, Mr Diacono has no doubt that UK temperatures are becoming suitable for olive cultivation. "There's no question that the climate is going to get there," he said. "It's just, have I done this 10 years too early or 20 years too early? "But I don't think so. We don't need to turn into Portugal really, we just need it to be slightly warmer for longer, and we are making that shift. We are crossing that threshold." Mr Diacono's rows of young trees with their distinctive grey-green leaves look incongruous in the red Devon earth, with the oakwoods of the Blackdown Hills in the background, in place of the glittering blue of the Mediterranean. Yet he is confident they will grow. The saplings provided by Mr Ciacci and his English partner, Esther Yorke, come from a region of Italy that has frost and snow in the winter as well as baking temperatures in the summer. "They're pretty tough trees," Ms Yorke said.

EDIT

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1096452.ece

[xchrom]

1. that's until the gulf stream collapses.

then you won't be growing jack shit in great britain.