Kitchen Garden Forum

It seems not in my case Primrose as we slept through a tremendous thunderstorm at 2.30 am, everyone I spoke to this morning has said "did you hear the thunderstorm last night the lightening was fantastic". Well err no actually I slept through the whole thing. Very unusual for me.

Nothing much to speak of here 6mm recorded overnight on Tuesday but mostly dried up by morning

But did you get some rain with the thunderstorm, Catherine? Yesterday's forecast said heavy rain for Thursday in NW England but that's been changed to light rain rain now or none at all - missed out again.

Yes, I don' like those sticky nights either, Primrose. When it's cold, you can always pile the clothes or bedclothes on but there is a limit to how much you can take off! And that applies even more so during hot days, in public!

Don't say that, I've been done for a shopping day on the basis it won't be fit for anything else! I think I'll drop the wife at Boundary Mill and go and browse LBS. Don't really need anything but can't think of anywhere else to go, any ideas Nelson / Colne area?

Hi Monika, yes we did get some rain, it was quite heavy but I did not hear the thunder or see the lightening. We are supposed to get rain tonight but even that seems to have changed from heavy to lighter showers. I did not water today in case we had rain, I will have to get up early tomorrow and if we have no rain I will have to get to grips with the watering.

Started typing this earlier this evening before the but one post about the lighter rain. Sorry.

Geoff, dont bother with LBS, get yourself up to Pendle Hill, you will have plenty of time to park on the road out of Barley Barley Lane, and walk up the track to the bottom of the steps, it should take you about an hour and a half to do the whole of the steps to the trig and back down the slope. If the predictions of the rain is right it will be nice in the morning and raining (lightly later in the day) plenty of time for your better half to do her shopping, (you will be able to see the Boundary Mill shopping complex from the trig point so you will be able to keep an eye on her whilst you walk ) Then back in time to have a cup of tea in the cafe.

Looking back at my records I discover that starting from this date last year it rained on 16 of the following 30 days. What a difference a year makes

I don't remember it as so few!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10533376.stm

Well that's done the trick - rained continuously (if lightly) all morning so far.

...and according to the forecast two days of real rain for the north-west on Friday and Saturday to wet the hosepipe-ban's head

Just a few spits and spots here!

10mm today! It's going up! The hose pipe ban is on from Friday, so hopefully we'll get some more rain.

The rain came just in time to fill the peas and beans, I hope.

And just in time for our first camping weekend. with our grand daughter

Still no rain at all for weeks here, the water butts are all empty - all I can say is I am so glad I mulched - but the greenhouse and outdoor pots all need watering daily. Wondering what plants might thrive with scorching days and cold nights if we get the same pattern next year. Squash cucumbers courgettes and melons are doing well, tomatoes in the raised mulched beds look happy despite hardly any rain, those without mulch are struggling. cane fruit is ripening rapidly faster than I can pick it, almost cooking on the vines. Cape gooseberries fruiting and tomatillos are flowering doing quite well. Next year I will have deep mulch of straw / grass clippings etc on all the beds, grow plants in modules and plant through the mulch.

If any of you southern Saxons are feeling the heat today, why not take a trip to North-west Wales? It's cool and rainy today.