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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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Murder, isn't it! We are a tad warmer than you because of the coastal influence, but we are still forecast another frost this week coming. I have been rash and planted out all the potatoes in the expectation that things will be better by the time they emerge. The greenhouse is backed up with plants and I have had to pause sowing due to lack of space indoors under lights.
ReplyDeleteWe are forecast for a frost next weekend. Our greenhouse isn't too bad for space mainly because I've held back on sowing seeds knowing I'd quickly run out of space. When we next get to the allotment our potatoes are going to get planted. We have had some good crops from potatoes sown at the beginning of May so all is not lost just yet.
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