No Allotmenting as May Rainfall Breaks a Couple of Records

The rainfall total for May has reached 93.8mm (3.7in) by Friday morning making it the wettest month this year. January had previously held the record with 85mm or 3.4in. This May also became the wettest May I’ve recorded in the last 12 years taking over from May 2014 when we had 87.8mm or 3.5in.

Wettest Months 2010 - 2021

Parts of the allotment are beginning to get very overgrown as the weather has reduced visits to an absolute minimum in what should be a very busy time of year.

 

I did manage to strim a few paths on our last visit which was to plant out our sweet peas.

 

There's not much we can do to clear any beds and get them dug over as the ground is far too wet and soggy. It's just a case of waiting for some better weather. That looks as though it might be arriving by the middle of next week. Fingers crossed!

Of course this May is also still on track to be one of the coldest Mays I’ve recorded. Our trial potatoes, McCain Royal, planted over a month ago now on the 18th of April are still not pushing through the soil. I’m hoping the tubers haven’t rotted in the cold and wet conditions.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

Allotmenting back on hold

Another week has gone by with little or no improvement in the weather. April this year was the coldest for over 30 years and at the moment there’s a possibility that May will be the coldest for more than 20 years.

 

One evening we were treated to heavy rain and hail during a thunderstorm. April was very dry with only 4.0mm (0.2in) of rain. I’d like to say that a wetter May has been advantageous but I’m reckoning that our ground will now be too wet to work properly. We’ve had 66.8mm (2.6in) of rain this month so far which is about double the amount we’d normally expect this month.

We did make a little bit of progress at the allotment this week. On Monday we sowed carrots and parsnips. On Tuesday afternoon we just managed to sow some peas before we were rained off for the remainder of the afternoon. The ground was a bit wet for sowing peas so it will certainly be unworkable now after considerably more rain.

The forecast for the rest of May is not that promising with more rain and cold days expected up to the end of the month. There’s even a suggestion that cold northerly winds will make a return. This year is going to be a test of how late many crops can be planted out and still go on to produce a decent harvest.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

April 2021 - Very Frosty and Dry

There's no getting around it April turned out to be a cold and dry month. We are well behind with our gardening jobs at the end of April with lots of our maincrop potatoes still chitting in the greenhouse rather than them being planted in the ground. 

We planted out some brassicas at the plot early on in April and they looked better plants when they were planted out than they do now. They certainly haven't enjoyed the frosty dry weather.

Our tomato plants are still spending the daytime in the greenhouse but are being brought into the house overnight to avoid the cold conditions in our unheated greenhouse. 

I've delayed sowing our courgettes and squashes until some milder weather eventually arrives.

Although we only had 4.0mm of rainfall in April it isn't the driest month I've recorded since 2010. That record is still held by April 2011 with just 2.4mm.

Driest Months from 2010 - 2021

However, the forecast for Bank Holiday Monday is for lots of wind and rain to sweep across the country which should bring to an end the problems of dry unworkable soil.

Whilst the forecast promises an end to the dry spell, it doesn't show much respite from the cold temperatures. April 2021 is certainly the coldest I've recorded and suggestions are that it's the coldest since the 1980s.

Rainfall & Temperature Records For Aprils 2010-2021

Although the table above shows April as the coldest I've recorded, it doesn't give any real indication of how exceptional the frosty weather has been. In the 11 years from 2010 - 2020, we had a total of 14 days with air frosts when the temperature fell below 0°C or 32°F. In April 2021 alone we had 13 days with an air frost and a total of 26 days with a ground frost with the temperature falling below 3.0°C or 37.4°F.

The average nighttime temperature for April was just 0.7°C (33.3°F) the same as January this year. February's average low temperature was 1.6°C (34.9°F) and March 4.2°C or 39.6°F.

I have the feeling that we are going to fall even further behind at the allotment unless the forecasts turn out to be wrong and we get some improvement in the cold conditions.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

Our Run of Ground Frosts Ends

Tuesday 27th April saw our run of 18 consecutive nights of ground frosts come to an end.

The cold frosty mornings have taken their toll at the allotment. This buddleia is certainly showing the effects of a long spell of cold nights. This April has so far produced 23 days with a ground frost with 12 nights of below 0°C or 32°F. In the last 11 years in April, we've had a total of 14 nights with temperatures falling below 0° so to have 12 nights this year is an indication of how cold this April has been.

All our tree fruit has blossomed through this period of cold frosty mornings. First out were the plums and greengages followed by the pear trees and finally the apple blossom

Apple - Fiesta

The days have been sunny with plenty of bees about to pollinate the fruit but I'm not sure what damage the frosts will have done. It's now a waiting game to see how much of the blossom set fruit.

As if the cold nights weren't enough to contend with the ground is now bone dry and some beds will have to wait for some rain before they can be dug over. April's rainfall has so far amounted to 1.6mm or less than 0.1in. The last day we had any rain of note was the 13th March and since then nothing other than very light showers.

Sowing seeds at the allotment is on hold at the moment waiting for an improvement in the weather conditions. There is some rain in the forecast for the next few days but it's likely to be of a showery nature so hopefully, we'll be lucky and catch a few. However, the forecast is for the temperature to remain below normal for at least the next 10 days. It's turning into a challenging year at the allotment.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

It's like gardening in January

Well we’ve been to the allotment this week and got a few things planted but I’m not entirely sure that what we’ve planted will grow. Sue covered the jobs we got up to at the allotment on her blog, so if you’re interested in what we planted have a read of her blog post.

My concerns are twofold. Firstly, it’s been unseasonably cold, with early morning temperatures well below freezing. Secondly, it’s now over a month since we had any rain to speak of. These conditions certainly don’t make good gardening weather.

We’ve just finished a spell of seven consecutive mornings when the temperature has been below 0°C or 32°F. That would be quite a cold spell through the winter months let alone April. The last couple of mornings haven’t been much above freezing at 0.1°C and 0.0°C respectively. Out of the first 19 days this month, 9 days have been below 0°C and a further 7 days have been below 3.0°C meaning we’ve had a ground frost on 16 of the 19 days this month. That's resulted in an average low temperature for the month of 0.4°C for the first 19 days of the month.

Average Low Temperatures December 2020 to April 2021

Amazingly, April's average low temperature really is lower than any of last year's winter months.

However, the days have generally been sunny even if temperatures have been below average but I’ve had problems germinating seeds which I think is a result of the massive temperature fluctuations  between daytime and nighttime in the greenhouse. I’ve managed to germinate some tomato seeds in the house and these are spending the best of the sunny weather in the greenhouse but coming inside to spend the night in the kitchen.

There's no real change in the forecast. Some milder weather is forecast for the next few days but a return to cooler weather with more overnight frosts is on the cards for the end of the month and the beginning of May. There doesn't appear to be much rain if any in the forecast before the end of the month. So far this month our rainfall amounts to just 1.6mm (0.06in) which will make it the driest month I've recorded in 12 years. However, it will only take a light shower to change that as the record currently is 2.4mm (0.09in) in April 2011. 

I'm rather reluctant to sow any more seeds at the moment. Whilst it's easy enough to germinate them indoors I'm not sure they'll cope in our unheated greenhouse with temperatures falling to around freezing point most nights. 

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

The Only Way Is Up - Isn't It?

It has been another cold week for April. In the early morning sunshine everything looks rosy.

This was taken on Sunday morning after another frosty night. The temperature mid morning was hovering around the 4°C (39°F) and the water left in the birdbath overnight was frozen solid. The forecast is for the temperature to reach around the 7°C (45°F) mark well below average as we approach the middle of the month.

Having looked back at previous cold Aprils, I think it should start to warm up now as we get into the second half of the month.

April Average Temperatures

The purple line, on the chart above, shows how the average temperature for this April has progressed to date. The blue dotted line shows the average temperatures for April 2013 which was even colder at this stage of the month but warmed up considerably in the second half but it's the coldest April I've recorded. Looking further back and using the Central England Temperature Records April 1989 finished up even colder but at this stage of the month, the average April temperature was about the same as this year.

The cold weather has meant we've put doing any jobs at the allotment on hold but that's going to have to change.

Early brassica plants

These brassica plants have been in the cold frame for a couple of weeks now and they need transplanting out or they will quickly be past their best. The forecast is for more dry, sunny weather next week with a gradual improvement in temperature as the week progresses. Hopefully, the forecast will be correct as we've potatoes, onions, shallots and broad beans, as well as the brassicas, all ready to be planted.

 

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

Summer Last Tuesday But Winter Returns This Tuesday

It seems hard to believe now that only a week ago we were basking in summer-like temperatures. Of course, I realised then that sort of weather wouldn’t last but I never expected a return to temperatures more suited to January.

 

Through Tuesday afternoon we even had a few snow showers to help with the illusion that winter had returned.

 I’ve overlaid the temperature records for last Tuesday and this Tuesday in the image below.

 

Temperature Records for 30 March & 06 April 2021

The average temperature for Tuesday 06 April 2021 has become the lowest April value I’ve recorded in the last 12 years. It takes over from 01-April-2013 when the average temperature for the day was 2.4°C or 36.3°F. That lowest value has now become 2.1°C or 35.8°F.

Although the forecast is for a slight improvement in the temperature as we head through the week, the weather models are suggesting a return to lower and very unseasonable temperatures by the weekend. Any serious gardening activities are on hold until there's a change in the weather.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

March 2021 - How did it turn out?

I’ve now sorted out the temperature and rainfall records for March 2010 to 2021. Despite having a very warm end to the month with some record breaking temperatures this March didn’t finish as the warmest I’ve recorded.

 

Warm days, above 20°C (68.0°F), are a rare occurrence in March. In the 12 years I’ve been keeping records the temperature has only reached 20°C (68.0°F) on six occasions. We managed three days in a row in late March 2012, one day in 2019 and completing the six days are the two days at the end of March this year. That’s just 6 days in 372 days of March records.

 

March this year finished fourth in the temperature table, a degree or so above average. We needed a dry month to help the garden and allotment recover from the winter rain and fortunately the weather obliged and March finished up drier than average and down in ninth place in the rainfall table for March.

We made a video of a walk around our plot on one of the lovely warm days at the end of the month.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett