Wednesday, 29 July 2020

Battered By Gales Again This Month

Our poor July weather is continuing with more windy and showery weather. It would be more accurate to label today's strong winds as gale force. The peak gust speeds today reached 24mph which would have been the highest I've recorded in July except that this year on 05 July we managed a peak wind speed of 27mph. We've had less windy weather in named storms through winter. 

We made a trip down to the allotment. I wanted to turn over some beds with the cultivator ready for more crops to be planted.
These two beds on plot 42, cleared of peas and early brassicas, dug over very nicely ready for some new crops. The plan is for some Safari French beans to fill one bed and we've still to decide what to plant in the other bed.

In the gale force wind and a cool temperature, it felt very autumnal. Getting the beds dug over incorporated several dashes to the shed to avoid the worst of the showers.

It wasn't the coldest daytime temperature of this July as that is held by 09 July, when the temperature only made it up to 12.8°C (55.0°F), which if you haven't already guessed is the coldest daytime temperature I've recorded in July.

It's going to be a close run thing between July 2012 and 2020 for the coolest I've recorded but with Friday forecast to be a scorcher July 2012 may just hold onto the record. 

At least the gale force winds didn't blow all the fruit from the trees and Sue picked some nice Oullins Gage plums along with a few other bits and pieces so we didn't return home empty handed.


Posted by Martyn at 09:47 2 comments

Thursday, 23 July 2020

Still Waiting for Summer to Start!

I haven't posted for a while as I was hoping for some sort of change in our weather. I last posted regarding our cold start to July and how after the first couple of weeks it was the coldest July I've recorded in 10 years. Well, a week or so on and there hasn't been any great change and we are still waiting for some warmer weather to arrive.
Average July Temperatures 2010 - 2020
The actual values might not be too obvious but the bottom line is the average temperature this year is vying with 2012 for the coldest in ten years. After the first 21 days of 2012 the average temperature was 15.0°C (59.0°F) with this year slightly cooler at 14.8°C or 58.6°F. Our average July temperature over the last ten years is 17.4°C or 63.3°F.

Both daytime highs and nighttime lows are well below average for July and the result is that vegetables that prefer the weather a little bit more summer-like are struggling.
Our runner beans are struggling to grow up the canes and some of the plants are already starting to flower. I can only think that the cold weather is playing a part in slowing the growing process down. I suppose there is plenty of time for the runner beans to grow and produce a crop as they'll continue growing right through to the start of some frosty nights. 
Our courgettes and squashes are struggling a little bit too. They seem to have taken ages to produce a decent amount of top growth. The photo above is our best Crown Prince squash just producing its first flower. We're just starting to pick our first small courgettes.

However, it's not all bad news. Our carrots appear to be enjoying the cooler weather.
Under their environmesh duvet, to protect them from carrot fly, they have produced some lovely healthy tops so I'm optimistic that we'll have some tasty roots underneath. 

We've got some nice blackcurrants to pick and it would be so much nicer picking them if the weather would warm up a little bit and we got some pleasant sunshine.
Judging from the weather forecasts I think we'll be picking them in temperatures more appropriate for spring rather than summer. 

Posted by Martyn at 10:15 4 comments

Wednesday, 15 July 2020

A Taste of Summer But.....

Sunday produced a taste of summer but unfortunately, it was for one day only. Monday morning was cooler and cloudy enough to produce some light drizzle. Tuesday and Wednesday haven't been an awful lot better.
Temperature & Rainfall Records 01 - 15 July 2020

After some cool days, Sunday did feel like summer had arrived in the mid afternoon sunshine at the allotment. The temperature made it to 22.9°C (73.2°F) which isn't anything at all special for the middle of July. There is a "but" to the story as Sunday was not just the hottest day of this July it was also the coldest with an early morning temperature of 8.7°C (47.7°F) unusually cold for the middle of summer. 
As you can see from the chart above Sunday was the first day of the month to reach the average daytime temperature for July and apart from a couple of nights all the night time temperatures have been below average too.

July 2020 High & Low Temperatures with 10 year averages
We've already had a decent amount of rainfall this month adding up to 51.6mm which isn't far from July's average rainfall.
The rainfall has kept the ground at the allotment workable and our Kalibro cabbages could be planted out without any advanced watering. All our brassicas appear to be enjoying the cool and wetter conditions so we're looking forward to some excellent crops as we move a bit further into summer.

Posted by Martyn at 19:41 4 comments

Friday, 10 July 2020

Weather's Grim - Very Grim

This July keeps on setting 10 year records but they're not the good ones. Last Sunday was our windiest July day in ten years. You'd think that one bad 10 year record was enough in any month but just a few days later on Thursday, it produced the lowest daytime July temperature in ten years with a high temperature of 12.8°C or 55.0°F. The previous lowest was on 11 July 2017 with 13.3°C or 55.9°F. 
Temperature & Rainfall Data 07 July 2020
It hasn't just been cold for July either. It hasn't stopped raining for the last couple of days. It's been mostly a drizzly sort of rain with bouts of more persistent rain intermingled in with it.
The water butts that collect rainwater from the garage and greenhouse are overflowing. Nothing needs regular watering outside and the greenhouse is managing two or three days without watering. The rain refills the butts before they are anything like empty.
We had plans to sow some seeds and plant out some more brassica plants but those plans are on hold at the moment. 
I'm not sure the soil will be in a fit state for sowing seeds when we do eventually manage to make another visit.
Posted by Martyn at 09:39 2 comments

Thursday, 9 July 2020

Coldest Start to July

Summer has all but disappeared as we've entered July. This year the first week of July is the coldest start to the month I've recorded in 10 years.
Rolling Average Temperatures July 2010 - 2020

As you can see from my table above, the average temperature for the month at the end of the first week is 14.5°C the lowest I've recorded. It needs to be around 17.4°C for the expected temperature so it's about 2.9°C below average. 

At the allotment, some things seem to be enjoying the cool and wet weather. Our brassicas and potatoes are growing really well.
Cabbage - Cabbice
It the first time we've tried the cabbage called Cabbice and it looks to be growing well. Last year our potatoes never grew very well at all and never produced any decent haulms. That's not the case this year as they're producing lots of greenery.
Potatoes - Apache, Elfe, and Osprey (from left to right)
If the potatoes under these three rows are anything like the tops we should be in for a bumper crop. However, I've been growing potatoes for long enough now to know not to count on too much until the roots are lifted towards the end of August or beginning of September.

Of course, there has to be a downside and squashes, beans and courgettes that would like some conditions more akin to July are struggling in the cool temperatures. 

Our French and runner beans are still thinking about climbing up the canes. Hopefully, a few warmer days will persuade them that it would be a good idea.

Last week saw the windiest day I've recorded in July but luckily the garden and plot survived without any major damage.
The only casualty that isn't going to recover is one of our cardoons. We're undecided about what to do to tidy up the plant for the rest of the summer. As bees adore the cardoon flowers we might cut off the flower spikes and see if they will flower in a container full of water. Alternatively, I might consider planting the flower spikes in the ground as I'm not sure we have a container large enough for the spikes that won't be blown over when we have our next windy day.
Posted by Martyn at 10:07 1 comments

Monday, 6 July 2020

What’s Happened to Summer?

It seems ages ago now but it was only just over a week ago when it was too hot to do any gardening. Now our greenhouse has gone from needing watering twice a day to watering every couple of days. The temperature’s dropped considerably and it feels more like early spring than summer.

I don’t think plants know what to make of it either. They’re baking hot and dry one day to wet, cold and windy the next. Visits to the allotment have been limited. We’ve just had a flying visit to harvest a few bits and pieces. 
Temperature & High Wind Gust Records for 05 July 2020

Sunday was the worst of the windy weather. We decided not to bother visiting the allotment in the gale force winds deciding we might as well visit on Monday when the winds have eased and check on any damage. Oddly Sunday was the sunniest day of the month or more accurately it was the first time in the month the sun actually decided to show itself. However, it was the windiest July day I've recorded with the highest wind gust of 27 mph easily passing the previous highest of 23mph on 08 July 2016.   
I'm expecting the wind to have given our cardoons a battering. At the end of June, they were looking at their best and just about to come into flower but I not very hopeful that they will have survived Sunday's gale force winds intact.

Other than damaging the cardoons I'm expecting that it will have blown the environmesh off the brassicas. It's not been held down anticipating the gale force winds more associated with the middle of winter. Hopefully, everything else will have survived without too much damage.

Posted by Martyn at 09:46 0 comments
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