What to do through a Qatari summer

The most important decision a new grower in Qatar makes is accepting that summer is a rest. Trying to keep a tomato alive through July consumes an enormous amount of water and ends with a dead plant and exhausted soil. The traditional calendar calls this period Al-Bawarih, and the land rests through it.

What genuinely does grow

Only three crops are worth it: okra, molokhia and cowpea. All three take 45 °C, need a reasonable amount of water, and genuinely produce. Chilli, mint and basil can be kept alive in full shade until autumn.

Work on the soil

This is compost time. Add manure and cover the ground with a thick mulch, or sow a green manure. Bare soil under a July sun loses its microbial life entirely and takes a whole season to recover.

Fix what you will need

Check the irrigation and replace blocked drippers, repair the shade netting, and order seed early. When Suhail rises on 24 August everything should be ready so the nursery can start at once.