More sunny spells

Note for Sunday 16th

The improvement in the weather continued today. Plants in the greenhouse needed a good watering today as temperatures soared into the high 20’s°C after what seems like days in the high teens. I’ve been careful with watering with night time temperatures in the greenhouse as low as 4°C. I’ve moved plants into the cold frame to harden off as it’s the done thing. I’m going to risk planting out my lettuce this week.

From 02 Weather 2010

I’m hoping temperatures outside won’t fall to 4°C now we’re in the second half of May. It’s not too late to have snow though! The times reports blizzards on 17th May 1955. Click here for more.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 15th

Sunny spells
Today started of sunny but soon the clouds rolled up and stayed until the middle of the afternoon when they broke up and left us with a sunny end to the day.

On the plot our kiwi has been hit by the frost earlier in the week, just when we were looking forward  to lots of flowers and hopefully the prospect of a kiwi or two. A few clusters of leaves and buds look to have survived intact so hope of a fruit still remains. A fig tree on the plot was just coming into leaf has suffered from frost damage too. It really is a slow and difficult start to the growing season.

From 02 Weather 2010

On the plot I dug part of the ground where our dahlias will be planted and the ground is now quite dry. We only had 50% of our expected rainfall in April and so far no measurable rain at all in May.

Note for Friday 14th

A bit of warmth
It was dull and cloudy all day today but despite the lack of sun it wasn’t as cold as of late.

Our tree fern is now growing rapidly. It does get a regular watering to help it through the current dry spell.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 13th

Frosty records!
It was frosty early morning again today. Some parts of Yorkshire recording their lowest May temperatures for 40 years. Click here for more information. It’s unlikely to be colder than 1996 and that doesn’t seem so long ago but that year May was one of the coldest on records ranking 8th coldest since 1772 based on Central England Temperatures. The forecast is for the weather to warm up and to be back to normal next week so fingers crossed we’re not going to set any records this May.

As gardening is on hold for a few days as we await the temperature to warm up we had a day out visiting Rievaulx Terrace and Temples owned by the National Trust.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Wednesday 12th

Continuing cold
Wednesday was slightly milder but still not what is expected for almost the middle of May. Once again the day started with brilliant sunshine and an almost cloudless sky but it wasn’t long before cloud built up to spoil the sunshine.

The unseasonably cold weather has been reported in several newspapers. Click here to read article from The Times online. It seems it should be milder by the middle of next week.

Whilst our potatoes have suffered from frost this week our cauliflowers look really well and about ready to cauliflower.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 11th

Frost Damage
The bright sunny morning became much cloudier by lunch time but we still had some more good sunny periods in the afternoon. During the early evening we had some light rain but still not enough to be recorded on the rain gauge.

A visit to the plot showed the damage from the over night frost. Young potato shoots which had emerged despite my best efforts to keep soil pull over them were badly frosted. The max/min thermometer on the plot had gone down to minus 3°C.

From 02 Weather 2010

The potato with no signs of frost damage is a “volunteer” growing in the next bed to my main crop potatoes. How does the frost choose which plants to attack?

Note for Tuesday 11th (Morning)

Overnight the outside temperature was down to 0.8°C but plants in the cold greenhouse look to have survived. The low in the greenhouse was 4.9°C. At least today has started beautifully sunny rather than the dull grey cloud of yesterday.

Note for Monday 10th
Getting colder
It’s getting on towards the middle of May and it should be getting warmer not colder. That’s not the case however as today our maximum temperature under dark grey skies was just 9.6°C. Throughout the day we had spells of light rain but not enough for the rain gauge to measure.
On the plot the permanent fruit bushes and trees are looking well but I am delaying the sowing of main crop vegetables such as French and runner beans for a few more days. I’m just hoping tender courgette, melon and tomato plants survive any frosty nights in my cold greenhouse.

From 02 Weather 2010

Cold nights forecast

Note for Sunday 9th
There was plenty of sunshine today but temperatures remained stubbornly on the cool side. It remains particularly cold over night, slowing the growing of plants in the greenhouse. I’ve delay sowing French beans for a week or so until the weather warms a little.

From 02 Weather 2010

Click here for full article.

From 02 Weather 2010

I’ve noticed a few predictions for summer. If you care to check them out you can find them from the following links to the Daily Express and AccuWeather.

Note for Saturday 8th
Continuing cold
Today was cold and cloudy with a brisk breeze from the north east.
The first 8 days of May have been on the cold side. I’ve added a chart to the blog showing the average temperature after 8 days of the month from warmest to coldest Mays. We are much nearer the coldest recorded May temperatures and around 2°C below the first 8 day of May last year.

From 02 Weather 2010

I read last week that the RHS gardens at Harlow Carr which is quite close to us lost all their tree ferns over winter. They recorded a low of minus 11°C compared with our minus 6.5°C. (Click here to read article) Our tree fern has survived and has started to unfurl its new fronds. It did have fleece in the crown to protect it over winter.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Friday 7th
Cold wind
The wind remained in a cold north or easterly direction today making it feel rather cold. The forecast for the weekend and into the early part of next week is for night time temperatures down to 0°C. I’m hoping some fleece will be enough to protect tender plants growing in the greenhouse.
The cucumber plants I thought had suffered from cold night time temperatures in the greenhouse a few nights ago appear to have made a full recovery and have been potted on.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 6th
Dull
A cloudy day today with drizzle or light rain in the morning but clearing by lunchtime.
Our banana tree (musa basjoo) is just pushing through its winter protection of straw. I’ll leave the straw in place for a week or so as the night time temperatures are still quite low.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Wednesday 5th
Pleasant
Temperatures returned to normal today. There wasn’t a lot of sunshine but with very light winds it felt milder than of late.
Our water hawthorn in the pond has produced its first flower of the year.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 4th
A bit more like it
The temperature was up a little today. The average temperature for the previous 2 days was only 7°C, low for early May. The day still had a cool feel especially out of the sunshine but the average did creep up to 8.8°C, still a couple of degrees below expected.
My cucumber seedlings didn’t look too happy. I think it might have been the cold overnight temperature down to 5.8°C in the greenhouse. I’m hopeful that they will recover so I’ll wait a few days to see what happens before re-sowing.

From 02 Weather 2010

April Weather summary

I’ve added a summary of the weather data recorded for April to our web site. Click here for more details.

Note for Monday 3rd
Remaining cold
The week is continuing on a bit of a cold theme. The last two weeks of April felt like summer was on its way so it’s a bit disappointing to have temperatures so cold at the beginning of May. I suppose we cannot expect an improvement until the wind moves out of the cold north or easterly direction it’s in. The pie chart below shows the wind direction for the first 3 days of May.

From 02 Weather 2010

It is amazing how quickly the garden transforms from the days of mid winter into late spring. Just compare the photos below. The upper photo taken on 2nd May 2010 compared with 14th January 2010

From 02 Weather 2010

 

Single figures only

Note for Sunday 2nd

It certainly turned cooler today. The temperature didn’t make it into double figures as the maximum temperature only managed 9.4°C. Whilst the south of the country had plenty of rain over Bank Holiday Sunday it remained dry here.

From 02 Weather 2010

The wind was generally from the north which made it feel cold.

From 02 Weather 2010

All the seedlings in the greenhouse were covered with fleece to give them extra protection for a cold night with the possibility of an overnight frost.

Our pansies which managed to produce a few flowers even in the depths of winter are still giving us a really good show.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 1st

Cooler feel
Today the wind direction moved out of the south into a more north, north easterly direction and certainly gave the day a cooler feel as we moved into May.

From 02 Weather 2010

The morning was fairly sunny but it turned cloudier in the afternoon with the threat of showers but they didn’t materialise.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Friday 30th

Sunny spells
The weather produced a mixture today. We had some cloudy spells, a few sunny spells and in the late afternoon the cloud returned to give some light drizzle. The temperature was as expected for the last day of April.

Note for Thursday 29th

I should have known that mentioning April had been dry would bring some rain. It did but not much only 4.8mm, so April remains a dry month. Yesterday's temperature couldn’t last and today was cloudy and cooler but still a bit above average for the time of year.

Our new quince - Meeches Prolific is just coming into blossom.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Wednesday 28th

Is this summer?
Wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far. It remained mild throughout the night. The forecast with a Bank Holiday weekend coming up is for much cooler weather over the weekend. April could turn out very dry if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of days.

Some of our rhubarb is beginning to flower. The flower spikes will be removed, hopefully to produce better stems for pulling.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 27th

Early summer feel

The warm spell continued and we took advantage of the excellent weather to visit the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast to see the nesting sea bird colonies. It was pleasantly warm on the North Sea coast too even though it clouded over in the afternoon.

From 02 Weather 2010

Back home another warm and dry day. The last few days has increased the average April temperature quite markedly.

Note for Monday 26th

Warm spell continues

It continued very mild for April. Another very nice day with plenty of sunshine in the afternoon after a cloudy morning which threatened rain that never arrived.

In the greenhouse plants are now growing quickly with the welcome rise in temperature.

From 02 Weather 2010

Squash - Crown Prince

 

April showers

Note for Sunday 25th

Another very mild day for April with temperatures around 7°C higher than average.

From 02 Weather 2010

April has been a dry month so far without any of the usual showery weather we expect this month. Today it changed and we had a couple of heavy showers but each lasted for just a few minutes.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 24th

Mild
Today was the warmest since I began keeping temperature records last October. It was almost like summer! We had rather hazy sunshine for most of the day rather than clear blue skies.

On the plot things are starting to green up and it’s starting to loose that bleak look of winter. The fresh green of spring and early summer is here.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Friday 23rd

More cloud
A much cloudier day than of late with the cloud not clearing until late afternoon. It was milder overnight and remained mild throughout the day. The forecast is for Saturday to be the warmest day of the year.

Dandelions are in full bloom on the grass paths around the plot so the mower will be out to cut them back and prevent them setting seed.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 22nd

Frosty start
Our spell of cold nights continued. Overnight the temperature fell to just 0.7°C our coldest night since the 11th March. I just managed to capture the ice on the bird bath before the morning sun quickly melted it.

From 02 Weather 2010

Following the cold start it was another day with plenty of spring sunshine.

Note for Wednesday 21st

Cold overnight
Today was another day with lots of spring sunshine. Despite the sunshine it felt cool in the shade. Over the last few nights the temperature has been getting lower each night and below average for late April.

We will just have to hope that no damage is done to the fruit blossom that is out at the moment. Our Greengage (Mannings) is just coming into flower.

From 02 Weather 2010

I think that the cooler weather might be prolonging the flowering period of our daffodils and cowslips which are in full bloom.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 20th
Sunny and cool
Some lovely spring sunshine today but with a rather cool breeze from the north.

It was very pleasant in the greenhouse so more seeds were sown and some Brussels Sprout seedlings pricked out to grow on in modules before planting out in the allotment in May.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Monday 19th

Cold and wet
There was some welcome rain for the garden and plot today. It didn’t need to be quite so cold though with a high of only 8.4°C.
I’ve noticed that the forecast is for some frosty nights later in the week. I hope our cherry blossom escapes the cold nights unscathed. It was just coming into flower last Saturday.

From 02 Weather 2010

 

Turned cloudy

Note for Sunday 18th
The day started off with sunshine as though we were to get a repeat of Saturday. Unfortunately it clouded over by lunchtime. It remained mild though.

From 02 Weather 2010

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 17th

Warm and sunny
Sunshine all day today. There was little breeze and it felt very mild.

Note for Friday 16th

What a difference
It started off cloudy first thing but by mid morning the cloud started to break up to leave us with a beautifully warm and sunny day. What a contrast from yesterday.
In the afternoon we had a clear blue sky with no signs of vapour trails from high flying aircraft with the closure of UK air space due to volcanic ash.

Our last rainfall was on the 7th April so we are entering the longest spell of dry weather since I set up my weather station last October.

Note for Thursday 15th

Cloudy and cool again
It was cloudy all day today with no hint of sunshine. The temperature didn’t even manage double figures. The weather forecast said it’s going to get colder next week! I might delay planting my carrots for another week.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Wednesday 14th

Cloudy and cool
It was cloudy for most of the day today. The sun did manage to break through the cloud eventually but not until late afternoon.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 13th

Touch of frost
It was cold overnight with a touch of frost as the overnight temperature fell to 2.8°C. The day started sunny but soon clouded over. The cloud remained for the rest of the day. We had a cool wind too. Last weeks warmth has spoilt us.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Monday 12th

The morning was cloudy and cool but around lunchtime the cloud broke up and the sun came out to give a nice afternoon.
Our gunnera has started to produce leaves. It’s one of those plants I thought might not have survived the cold winter without protection.

From 02 Weather 2010

Cooler

Note for Sunday 11th

It obviously couldn’t last and today there was much more cloud and a cool easterly breeze but still a pleasant April day.

From 02 Weather 2010

Our greenhouse grapevine has started to shoot but the 2 vines outside on the plot have still to burst into growth. As they both have buds which are looking green I’m assuming the young plants have survived the cold winter on the plot.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 10th

Warmer still
It was just like summer today with almost unbroken sunshine and a high of 18.9°C the warmest day since last October.

Note for Friday 9th
Warmest this year
Today was the warmest day of the year with the afternoon temperature reaching 16.9°C. It wasn’t as sunny as yesterday with varying amounts of cloud. It was a still day making it excellent for sowing parsnip seeds which can all too easily be blown away on the slightest breeze.

On each visit to the plot we inspect our broccoli and cauliflowers for signs of our first pickings of the year. Our broccoli seems reluctant to produce spears at the moment.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Thursday 8th

Sunny
It was sunny all day today. It felt pleasant in the sunshine if just a bit breezy at times in the afternoon.

Note for Wednesday 7th

Mild
Light overnight rain continued into the morning. The rest of the day brightened up with short sunny spells but occasional spells of light drizzle. The day had a mild feel about it.

On the plot our new pear tree “Red Williams” has flower buds.

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Tuesday 6th
Mild

It was a mild and cloudy day with only a few brief sunny intervals.

Note for Monday 5th

Breezy again
A damp morning with some drizzle but no measurable rainfall to note. The afternoon was brighter with brief sunny spells. A rather breezy afternoon took the edge of the temperature.
Our pansies have survived the winter even managing to give us some flowers during the worst of the winter weather. Now they are in full bloom. It is video and not photographs as I wanted to test out my video camera using a small tripod. There are some tell tale signs if you look closely.

 

March weather summary added

March started like the previous cold winter months of January and February. The month started with some light snowfalls and some extremely frosty nights. Click here for more

Breezy

Note for Sunday 4th

There were some spells of sunshine but accompanied by a rather cool breeze. It was nice and warm in the greenhouse for sowing seeds. On most days now it’s reasonably warm in the greenhouse and this has meant that we’ve had excellent germination of our broad beans whilst we were away on holiday.

From 02 Weather 2010

From 02 Weather 2010

Note for Saturday 3rd
Sunny spells
Our first day back at home after spending last week on holiday in the New Forest. The weather on holiday was mixed. It started out quite pleasant, mild with some sunny spells. It became very windy and turned much colder with outbreaks of rain. On Wednesday 31st we visited Keyhaven on the coast which has views across to The Needles and the Isle of Wight. It was just 6°C by mid-afternoon.

From 02 Weather 2010

The weather improved slightly towards the end of our stay.

At home yesterday it was not too bad a day with some sunny spells and dry. Seed sowing can start in earnest now.

From 02 Weather 2010