Summer's here

[alan refail]

Not sure where all this promised rain has got to!

Morning OH

Don't blame us; yours was supposed to be coming in from France
But then ours coming in from the west has disappeared entirely

[Clive.]

The rain came here..

12mm of it in thundery showers overnight...and not finished yet...very large spots currently....

It was really needed as things had become absolutely parched. Last weekends bit of rain and more had just gone away.....such that the lawns had gone to August dry in places and roadside verges behind the kerbs to straw colour....

It wants to stop now as it is an open day at the Big House just up the road.. http://www.harringtonhallgardens.co.uk/Dates.html in aid of Parkinsons...with which my father suffers....so we want to support that.
..and also one of our Volunteers has her garden open for NGS...so we have a visit there planned too...possible to make the two as NGS one is open 'til 8pm. http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/gardenfin ... x?id=21742

Clive.

[Geoff]

No rain here just fog that means I can only see just beyond the end of the garden. Strangely it doesn't feel damp, don't know how you can have dry fog.

Had my first ever Vales Emerald First Earlies last night and I must say I am hooked. If the other roots are as good, over 2lbs on the first, then I shall be growing more next year as the flavour is magnificent.

[Clive.]

Hello Geoff,
Interesting to learn of the good news re Vales Emerald. I nearly tried some this year...when we had the non chitting Swift...but stuck with some more Swift followed by Lady Christl.
We are on Lady Christl, grown in pots, at present...1lb 14oz, I'm told, from todays root...grown for 11 weeks.

Clive.

[Geoff]

They were planted under outside cloche on 8th March so 12½ weeks or so. We ate all those with visitors yesterday so back to Rocket today so it will be an interesting comparison, 3½ lbs on the root.

[alan refail]

Enjoyed my first Red Duke of York last night. They were planted ("put down" as we say here) on 10th April, so 8 weeks and a day in the ground.

[Geoff]

Interesting, must try those also planted 8th March but the tops aren't as strong as the other two so I had thought to leave them for a while.

[alan refail]

Hi Geoff

Eight weeks and one day is my record for earlies here. I tried the Red Duke of York as they were in flower. I did not get the weight that you and Clive are reporting - but weight is not everything. After a lot of dry weather I was happy to dig a couple of roots and get 20 potatoes of equal size - all approx 2 inches in diameter, perfect for quick cooking and dressing with Welsh butter and chopped mint.

[oldherbaceous]

We now have the rain, what a welcome sight, but if it could just stop in a minute or two, ready for when i go to work......

[alan refail]

Morning OH

Glad you like the rain. Looks like you've a wet week in prospect

[Chantal]

I'm off work this week, but am welcoming the rain, even though it's pretty torrential at times. I was faced with spending a few hours every day watering the allotment (with cans, no hoses) and do we need this. Even after two downpours over the weekend, the ground was still bone dry an inch down, we've had no real rain for weeks.

This is also forcing me to spend time at home and in the garden, which I often ignore when the lottie calls. I spent most of yesterday (pre rain) clearing the patio, planting up the pots and baskets and making it look pretty. This is the first time in years I've done this as the chicks had free run up until the middle of last year and they just ate the lot. They are now banned from the garden near the house and my geraniums are safe.

Nice weekend forecast

[oldherbaceous]

Had enough of the rain at work, so come home early, but plenty to do in the greenhouse, so not all is lost.

[glallotments]

raining here too as it did on and off yesterday but nothing torrential (I just carried on planting in it yesterday and didn't get very wet) just slow and on and off - at the moment its off!

[Monika]

I think somebody up there doesn't like us - still just occasional drizzly rain and not much of it. Our next village, 6 miles on, had torrential rain yesterday .

I have just been to the allotment and it's still bone dry underneath the trees, bushes and rhubarb and the tubs still almost empty.. BUT, stuff is growing, including the weeds, so some rain must be getting to the roots. And there is still light rain forecast for the next three days.

[Clive.]

Had enough of the rain at work, so come home early, but plenty to do in the greenhouse, so not all is lost.

Certainly plenty to do in our greenhouses....I started to try to make sense of the boxes of sales plants that are still lodged in front of the line of tomatoes...then the pots of peppers made it to the back lean too after some languishing cuttings got moved out.....then onto the some greenery sorting in the front greenhouse........

......but then I saw the front gutter downright was blocked so out I went to clear it....and caught a pane of glass. ...the day was going well 'til that point.

Not the worlds best day for visitor figures for our new volunteer ticket man...2......make that 4 if you count those that popped in to retrieve a lost camera from last week..

...11mm rain today...making 38mm for June so far....against 18mm in May, 34mm in April.

Clive.