Friday, 02 June 2017
A Very Mild May
May turned out to be a dry mild month. Whilst it wasn't the driest May I've recorded since 2010 it was the mildest. However, I don't think it was that good a gardening month even though the average temperature for the month was the highest over the last seven years.
May High Temperature Records 2010 - 2017
The colour code for the table above is that dark red represents higher than average temperatures, dark blue colder than average and white around average for May. As you can see May didn't start off that well but finished off very warm which included the hottest May day I've recorded at 28.6°C on 25 May.
Looking at a similar chart but this time for May's low temperatures we see a very similar pattern with the month's early low temperatures below average.
May Low Temperature Records 2010 - 2017
It wasn't until the middle of the month that the month's low temperatures improved and these are the temperatures that are most important as they govern how well our plants are going to grow.
To make gardening matters even worse the month started off very dry, following on from a dry April.
Temperature & Rainfall Records for May 2017
The first two weeks were completely dry coinciding with temperatures below average too. At times it was difficult to know if plants were struggling because they were cold or because they were dry. It also feels rather odd watering plants when the weather feels on the chilly side. Watering is a job to do when the weather's nice and sunny.
To finish with here's my full list of average May temperatures since 2017.
Saturday, 03 June 2017
In Broad Daylight!
Friday was another of those damp days when it tried to rain at times but never managed anything of any use.
Temperature & Rainfall Record for 02 June 2017
I say it's of no use as far as watering the garden goes but it seems it's just what our snails love. That record of rainfall at 11:30 on the chart above took most of the morning to accumulate but it meant that plant leaves were damp all morning. The condition meant the snails couldn't resist the temptation to graze our front garden even in broad daylight.
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No need to go out in the dead of night with a torch to collect the marauding minibeasts this was just after lunch as we were getting ready to visit the allotment for the afternoon.
They were collected up and disposed of in the garden waste bin. The two heading up the side of the bucket making a bid for freedom didn't make it. They've a week in the bin with our green waste before it's collected for composting.
It's a constant battle trying to keep young seedlings from being eaten by what seems to be ever increasing numbers of slugs and snails.
Monday, 05 June 2017
How Firm Is Firm
Now I know that brassicas like to be planted in firm ground but I'm assuming that the bed I'd like to use for our winter brassicas is a little bit too firm.
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This is how the ground looked on Sunday afternoon. I've been waiting for a few weeks now for a suitable opportunity to get this bed dug over but there's not much chance of that happening until we get some decent rainfall. The ground has gradually got dryer and dryer over the last two months as any rainfall has been so light that it's done nothing more than moisten the top of the soil. The good news is, if a forecast of rain can be good news, that plenty of rain is forecast over the next week.
The chart shown above is repeated on several days through this week as rainfall comes in off the Atlantic Ocean and passes over the UK. We will have to wait and see if the forecast turns out to be correct.
Tuesday, 06 June 2017
I Want It All!
Well I did blog about wanting some rain and that has arrived but what I didn't want with it was the accompanying gale force winds.
The roses which have just come into flower are taking a battering from the wind. The heads are bending over as they become heavy with water and the wind is stripping off the petals or in some cases the entire flower head.
The alliums too were almost at their best but in the wind they are now leaning over at a rather precarious angle.
Once again I think it's a combination of water and strong wind that the stem is unable to cope with. I'm hoping they'll straighten up provided the wind abates soon.
Temperature, Rainfall & Hi Wind Speed Records 05/06 June 2017
The wind picked up this morning and has continued to strengthen into Tuesday Afternoon. The temperature is doing the opposite and continuing to fall. By the middle of the afternoon it is down to 11°C or 52°F. (The storm total is the amount of rainfall without a 24 hour spell of dry weather.)
It's a good job we put in a late shift at the allotment on Sunday as it looks as though it might be a while before we make another visit. I did manage to make a video of our allotment progress before we left on Sunday.
Wednesday, 07 June 2017
I Thought It Was Summer!
Tuesday would have been a grim wet and windy day had it been in October or November but given it was the beginning of June it made it even worse. The morning was wet and windy but through the afternoon, evening and the night the morning's strong wind became gale force.
Temperature & Hi Wind Speed Records for 06 June 2017
A gust of wind in the afternoon reached 29.0mph at 15:45 becoming the strongest I've recorded since beginning my records in 2010. The previous highest was 27.0mph on 02 June 2015.
The wind hasn't abated overnight either and is continuing through Wednesday morning which has seen another record equalling gust of 29mph at 05:10. The garden has been on the receiving end of a real battering for over 24 hours.
I'm planning on a visit to the plot on Wednesday afternoon to assess any damage there from the gales.
Rather oddly on Wednesday morning we have blue sky and fluffy white clouds with a gale force wind. It's not very warm either with the current temperature at 13°C (55°F) at 09:20. Hopefully, the weather will improve a little as the day progresses starting with the gale force wind abating.
Disclaimer
This weather site is operated as an amateur weather station site and should not be used as official data. I make every effort to ensure my data is as accurate as possible but I cannot guarantee that the data meets the requirements of the Meteorological Office or other professional weather monitoring organisations.
©M Garrett 2016