Kitchen Garden Forum

Very little out, have just started planting so protection will be easy. Some peeps have put their first beans out, and time and time again they get wind chilled and don't make it. Plenty of room in the greenhouse for stuff to keep growing

5.6 was lowest in the greenhouse here, at the side of the tomato plants. Front lawn was white frost at 6:25am. The moon was incredibly bright early on last night and low. There were long shadows cast across the lawn...

C.

Morning, it was 3.5 last night, but by 7 o'clock it was up to 11 degrees, now need to make sure it doesn't bake everything in the day, these massive temperature swings are the problem for me and I can't put stuff outside the greenhouse as the wind coming off the sea is bitter.

Dummy run for an air frost failed last night at 0.9°C but I'm glad I covered the potatoes must have been cold at ground level. One of the forecasts I use (xcweather) that predicted 1°C is showing -2°C next week so it looks like I'd better believe it. I thought we had left the outside light on after letting the dog out with the bright moonlight.

Just got up so can't get to the plot to see how it has fared. But I reckon we got to about 7 here. Report to follow......

I see in this month's RHS "The Garden" crab apple "Gorgeous" has got a well deserved AGM - the fruit is my avatar.

I notice each time that I look at the weekend forecast the predicted temperatures have risen - from 1C on Sunday night to 5C, and Monday and Tuesday nights up to 6C. I don't know if they will go higher still, but I don't think I will be seeing much frost.

I was watching projected figures for here on met yesterday and on the hourly update they went up and then went down...and repeat... In the end I suspect they came out at close to the first prediction I spotted. Low of 3 was given for several hours...it went to 5.6 on the ash base of the greenhouse but down to 3.5 in the cold frame.

We have often commented at work that there must be two forecasters...on alternate shifts...one optimistic, one pessimistic..hence the fluctuations.

Many times we have seen it return on the day to what was suggested for that time some days earlier....particularly at work watching ahead for high winds relative to a closure protocol. So having put fleece over my tateys and it fitted well, I'm leaving in situ for now.

C.

Luckily, I brought our early potatoes in last night because early this morning all the flat roofs and car roofs were white with frost. Even in the heated greenhouse, the temperature sank to 3C. I think for the next few nights I will bring the climbing bean, courgette and morning glory seedlings into the house, just in case!
The later potatoes are well earthed up outside, so they should be ok.

Showing a minimum of 2C on my phone weather for the early part of next week & that is home not the plot which is more rural but close by, so I am going to have to tuck a few things in! Anything else Mother Nature would like to throw our way? Gave us (maybe with a bit of help) a pandemic, now erratic out of synch weather for down here!

Working out there today, you would have no idea the weather was going to turn bitterly cold, for Sunday and Monday, if it wasn't for the forecast.

16.9C showing on the outdoor thermometer, that has its sensor tucked into the winter jasmine on the shady north side of the house..

Bit hotter in the glasshouse...well, glass and gaps and vegimesh house...

C.

Do you have a glass house? Oh no, nothing as common as that, I have a, 'Glass and gaps and vegimesh house'...

Is it a glasshouse or greenhouse.?..but mine is red cedar cuprinol....red/brown house

The gardening gentleman on our local radio always insists that it should be a glasshouse...

C.

A glasshouse it is then, Clive...