A Gardener's Weather Diary: July 2019

Monday 29 July 2019

What A Week!

Saturday became our wettest day of the year but it didn't hold on to its record for very long as Sunday took over the record with 18.2mm or 0.72in.

Temperature & Rainfall Records 23-29 July 2019

I have to admit that as we had that record breaking hot day on Thursday I didn't think that the rainfall the day before was going to do much good on an already very dry garden and allotment. Our first early potatoes Casablanca and second earlies Athlete have done all the growing they are going to do and my plan was to lift them this week and replant the bed with some French beans - Safari which are growing in pots at home.

When I lifted some Casablanca potatoes a week or so ago, I did think that the soil was going to be very dry and digging the bed over might be a problem. However, with almost a month's rainfall, of 49.8mm (1.96in), over the last week I don't think that is going to be a problem now. I'm hoping the soil won't be too wet.

The forecast for the next couple of days doesn't look too promising with more rain predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Forecast from Netweather.tv

Tuesday looks particularly wet with more showery weather on Wednesday. There's been an amazing turn round in weather and growing conditions in the space of a few days.

Sunday 28 July 2019

Gardening on Hold - Summer Changes to Autumn

The exceptional heat of Thursday disappeared through Friday to be replaced by something resembling autumn on Saturday and it is continuing into Sunday morning.

Temperature & Rainfall Records 25-27 July 2019

Friday 26 July 2019

Thursday, 25 July 2019 - A Record Breaking Hot Day

There was no doubt about it, Thursday smashed my 10 year hottest day temperature into smithereens. The previous high of 33.1°C (91.2°F) set on 01 July 2015 was easily surpassed as the thermometer rocketed to 35.7°C or 96.3°F.

Highest Temperature Comparisons - Orange Line 01 July 2015 & Red Line 25 July 2019

The day's heat hung on long into the evening. I went to water the plot greenhouse around 20:00 and the temperature was still over 30°C. Not only was it still very hot but there wasn't even any breeze. Carrying a few cans of water to the greenhouse was a hot and sweaty job.

I had a quick look around the plot and most crops looked to have managed okay with a couple of very hot days. A dry spell of weather through much of July and a few hot days have stopped some of the potatoes in their tracks and we've plenty to start harvesting as they are not going to do any more growing. Digging up potatoes though will have to wait for some cooler conditions which might not be all that long with cooler weather forecast for the weekend and next week.

Wednesday 24 July 2019

A Scorcher Followed By Storms

As accurately forecast Tuesday turned out to be the hottest day of the year as the temperature reached 31.9°C (89.4°F) which for us is almost uncharted territory.

It became the third hottest day of the last 10 years.

Hottest Days 2010 - Date

The forecast was also correct regarding the overnight thunderstorms which arrived in the early hours of Wednesday morning. No great amount of rain accompanied the thunder and lightning but the 10.2mm (0.4in) will be very welcome to the plants at the allotment and in the garden.

Temperature & Rainfall Records 22-24 July 2019

The weather chat is that Thursday will be even hotter, again with a chance of thunderstorms following, before the hot weather gives way to more normal July temperatures on Saturday.

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Hot & Windy

Monday was the hottest day of the month, although not the hottest of the year. The forecast is that the temperatures will peak on Thursday with that likely to take over as the hottest day of the year.

Temperature & Wind Speed Records for 22 July 2019

The temperature reached a high of 28.4°C (83.1°F) in the afternoon but it was accompanied by a very blustery wind, almost gale force, especially through the morning. A couple of gusts recorded 22mph making it not only the hottest day of the month but also the windiest. Wind speeds of 22mph are rare for us in July and the maximum I've recorded over 10 years is 23mph on two occasions with 22mph now also being recorded on two days as well.

It's not really what we wanted at the allotments or for the garden. So far July has been a dry month and unless we get a drenching from one of the thunderstorms forecast this week it might turn out to be the driest over the last 10 years.

Our cardoon certainly doesn't look as majestic as it did now the wind has taken its toll. The one advantage is we can now see some of the flowers which will be covered with bees once they fully open out.

I'm not too sure how our already very dry plot will come through three or four days of hot weather if we miss out on any thunderstorms that are around.

Saturday 20 July 2019

July's First Proper Rain

We hadn't had any decent rain at all in July until yesterday, Friday, when it rained on and off through most of the day.

Temperature & Rainfall Rate Records for 19 July 2019

The chart above shows the rainfall rate rather than the amount of rain that fell as that value of 73.0mm/hr (2.87in/hr) around 18:00 is the heaviest rainfall of the year. Put another way it would be the whole of July's expected rainfall in about 45 minutes. By the end of the day we'd managed 8.8mm (0.35in) and as of Saturday morning our monthly total is still only 15.6mm (0.61in) well below our July average of 56.6mm or 2.23in.

The forecast is for another mini heatwave next week so any water the plants can get at the moment will help them through next week with daytime temperatures forecast to reach 30°C or 86.0°F. The only disagreement the weather models have is how long the spell of hot weather will last with some suggesting a couple of days with a break down of the hot weather on Thursday next week and one suggesting it will last through into next weekend.

Sunday 14 July 2019

Snail Damage Even In dry Weather

It’s now been three weeks since we’ve had any rainfall of note and the effects are starting to be seen on the allotment. Our total rainfall for July stands at 5.2mm (0.2in) set against a July average of 60mm or 2.4in. All our potatoes were looking really good as we moved into July thanks to a decent amount of rain in the early part of June especially. Now some of the haulms are taking on a yellowish appearance suggesting to me that they are running out of steam or more accurately water.

Temperature & Rainfall Data 14 June - 14 July 2019

I dug up a root of Casablanca early potatoes this week and the soil was very dry. We’ve been busy watering on the plot but I’m rather hoping that the potatoes will be okay as we concentrate on watering brassicas, beans, peas, squashes, carrots and parsnips.

Surprisingly, the dry weather doesn’t seem to have deterred the slugs and snails which have been munching their way through our plants at home and at the allotment.

We'd so much damage on a large hosta in a border in the garden that we decided to dig it out and replace it as the snail ravaged plant was spoiling the look of the whole border. The cut down hosta is in a large pot until we decide on its fate. In the photo above, the curious snail that emerged from the base of the hosta was wondering what had happened to its food source but didn't have long to worry about its fate.

I’m always a little bit worried that birds might get trapped in the netting that's meant to keep them from damaging crops. It's necessary to keep some net over our cold frame at home as the resident blackbirds enjoy rooting out seedlings as they search for any tempting morsels to eat. I've never thought about these nets trapping snails until today.

I've never wondered whether snails have a reverse gear. Obviously, its shell was never going to fit through the netting.

The slugs and snails have been busy at the allotment too munching their way through our courgettes.

I doubt whether this courgette will recover from loosing all its leaves along with parts of its stems.

They've also enjoyed devouring plenty of our runner and climbing French bean plants although, with a few warmer days and nights, our beans are starting to grow with a bit more haste and giving the impression that they are at least considering doing some climbing.

With no "proper" rain in the forecast for the next week only the possibility of a few showers, it looks like we are going to have to do more watering at the allotment and in the garden.

Sunday 7 July 2019

Average Weather and Tomato Problems

A week into July and the month's weather so far hasn't been anything special. Daytime temperatures have been around average for early July but night time temperatures generally have been a little below average.

Rainfall has been limited to just 0.4mm (0.02in) which fell in the early hours of Saturday morning. Despite a wetter than average June the garden and allotment would like a decent drink but there doesn't look to be much rainfall on offer over the next few days. We've had very little rainfall now for the last couple of weeks.

On the allotment, we've got tomato problems with what looks like weed killer contamination of the compost in the growbags.

The fern like shape and cupping of the leaves is typical of damage caused by compost contaminated with weedkiller. Sue has contacted Levingtons the growbag manufacturers and we are supplying a soil sample from the growbag for analysis. I have my doubts about this testing as it involves finding a sample of contaminated soil in the growbag. Two of the three tomatoes in the growbag appear at this stage to be unaffected so only part of the growbag compost appears to be contaminated. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of the discussions with the manufacturer and testing reveal.

On a brighter note, our new strawberry bed has produced some decent strawberries despite us only having planted it up this spring. The best of the varieties this year has been "Elegance" which has produced a some large tasty strawberries.

The start of July has also seen us begin harvesting our First Early Potatoes. We've dug the first roots of 'Casablanca' and 'Rocket' both of which have produced a decent crop of new potatoes. At the moment we are edging towards Rocket producing the tastier of the two varieties. Amongst this year's trial varieties is one First Early potato 'Premiere' which was planted later than 'Casablanca' and 'Rocket' but it will have completed its 90 day growing period in the coming week so we will need to lift a root to see how it compares in quantity and taste. Even at this early stage, I think it's safe to say that this year's potato crop will be much better than last year's but it is getting to the stage where they need a decent drop of rain to keep them growing strongly. Despite that wet June, the ground has dried out quickly as I discovered digging a root of potatoes on Saturday afternoon.

The forecast is for average temperatures and remaining mostly dry for the next week so the potatoes might not get the rain they require.

Tuesday 2 July 2019

Poor June for Weather

I've had chance to put June's temperature and rainfall data together and, if you're a gardener, it doesn't make for that good viewing.

Average Temperature & Rainfall - June 2010 to 2019

After a relatively dry April and May, to be near the top of the table for rainfall wasn't too bad and we didn't have to do much watering at the allotment.

Not everything appreciated the wet weather, but on the allotment brassicas and potatoes, in particular, enjoyed the wet cool conditions.

Looking at the chart below of temperatures for June, it's clear that both daytime high temperatures and night time low temperatures remained stubbornly below average.

June 2019 High & Low Temperatures with 10 year Highs and Lows

After the first few days of the month, it remained on the cool side with only the 29th of the month providing some real summer warmth with a very odd one day heatwave.

At least now we are into the beginning of July that hungry gap on the allotment when we wait for our new season produce to come on stream is over and on each visit to the allotment we can do a little bit of harvesting.

What we want from July are some warmer days and nights to give more tender plants like runner beans, sweetcorn and squash a boost after a disappointingly cool June. The first day of the month has started off cool and breezy not exactly providing that boost of summer warmth.