07, April 2019
Holding Back on Sowing & Planting
I'm not in any rush to get any more sowing or planting done down on the allotment. After all the temptation, with a very mild February and a mild March, now the main growing season is underway it's turned colder. I think the ground could do to warm up a little bit more before we think about sowing any seeds outside.
2019 Temperature Records
It's been a cold start to April, with the average temperature for the month now the same as February's and below March. At the moment the forecast suggests a couple of milder days before cooler weather returns early next week. Hopefully, we will get the remainder of our onion sets and shallots planted out over the next couple of days, but I'll see how the weather turns out before getting more of our potatoes planted.
Our cold frame is now full, mostly with soft fruit, plants are either hardening off or growing on before they are planted out at the allotment. This year we are replacing our main strawberry bed and planting up a new row of raspberries. Our new raspberry canes are still in the greenhouse as the cold frame is full.
On a bitterly cold day last week, we set about preparing for our new raspberries. The supports are set up and the ground covered with weed control fabric and wood chippings so once the canes have sprouted we will be able to get them planted.
It wasn't all gardening though, we found time to photograph a steam charter train at Woodlesford station. The train was travelling from Carnforth to the Wensleydale Railway.
.jpg?crc=4180115826)
Hopefully, the weather will be better than forecast next week, and we'll be able to get some planting done at the allotment.
09, April 2019
Poor Weather for Gardeners
The weather models aren't predicting any good growing weather for the next week to ten days. All the models are suggesting that a Scandinavian high pressure will control our weather over this period, bringing us north to north easterly winds.
As you can see from my April weather station records this has been the case for the last six days. Daytime temperatures have remained below average for early April but because we've had cloudy conditions night time temperatures have been around average or slightly above.
Skies have remained cloudy for most of the day. On Monday there were a few fleeting glimpses of sunshine and Tuesday morning has started a little bit brighter. The big gardening decision is whether to start sowing any seeds. At the moment I'm contemplating sowing some brassica seeds in the greenhouse but I'm going to leave sowing our carrot and parsnip seeds for some warmer weather. Any sunshine will soon lift the greenhouse temperature, but I want to avoid sowing carrots and parsnips into cold ground at the allotment.
These tulips provided some welcome colour on the allotment on a cold dull April afternoon.
Thursday, 11 April 2019
Below Zero!
The temperature fell to -0.4°C (31.3°F) in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Temperature Records 09-11 April 2019
During the last few days it's been chilly by day, with temperatures below average, but we really could have done without a frosty morning. On the plot the pear and plum trees are in full flower and a frost will most likely have damaged the blossom reducing the potential crop.
Cherry - Stella
In the garden at home our cherry tree is also in blossom so this rather late frost has come at a particularly unwelcome time. For the record the last below zero temperature in April was on 10 April 2016 falling to -0.6°C or 30.9°F.
Friday, 12 April 2019
Coldest Late Spring Morning
As if yesterday morning wasn't cold enough, early Friday morning became the coldest morning this late into spring I've recorded when the temperature fell to -1.9°C or28.6°F.
Temperature Records 10-12 April 2019
The coldest April morning I've recorded since 2010 was 07 April 2013 when the temperature dropped to -2.4°C (27.7°F) and Friday now becomes the second coldest April morning in 10 years.
We had a quick check around the allotment on Thursday afternoon to see if we could spot any damage from Thursday morning's frost. Sue noticed that some of the leaves on our newly transplanted kiwi Issai had some frost damage.
Other than that we couldn't see any other damage although we will have to wait and see how much damage these keen late frosts have done to the plum, greengage, pear and cherry blossom.
Our early Casablanca potatoes in the plot greenhouse looked well and had escaped any damage.
Before we left I took the precaution of covering them with some environmesh just in case we had another frosty night.
I'm glad I did now. I'm not sure we've finished with the frosty nights just yet!
Saturday, 13 April 2019
Record Cold For April!
I posted yesterday that we might not be finished with frosty nights and it turned out to be correct. Never mind when in April it happened as early Saturday morning produced the coldest April temperature in ten years as the thermometer fell to -2.6°C or 27.3°F.
Temperature Records 11-13 April 2019
We can often go through April without a frost so three nights in a row is unusual especially as we are approaching the middle of the month. April should gradually be getting warmer not colder.
I had a quick check around the greenhouse and cold frame and everything seems to have survived okay. I didn't cover these lettuce seedlings last night (I forgot) but they look to have survived.
Mixed Lettuce Varieties
I know from recording greenhouse temperature there's not a great deal of difference between greenhouse and outside temperature on cold nights. Everything looked to have made it through the cold in the cold frame too. My only concern was for some cauliflower plants purchased last week but they looked fine this morning.
Cauliflower - All Year Round
It appears that our young plants at home have survived the frost but there no way of knowing what damage has been done to any fruit blossom. At home we have apple, pear and cherry blossom out. You may be wondering about how our tomato plants have survived and the answer is they've done alright still tucked up in their seed packets. Hopefully, the cold nights should relent in the early part of next week and some serious seed sowing can begin.