Kitchen Garden Forum

I didn't realise it was going to be so cold last night, left all my seedlings out. Thankfully, they all seemed to be OK at 7 this morning.

No frost forecast for here last night but when my coworker went to feed the chickens at 6 o’clock this morning she had to break the ice on the water feeders ,the last two days I’ve been taking tomatoes and lettuce from the proper gator to the poly tunnel luckily they all survived

Yes, we had frost last night but everything was well covered or wrapped up. Today's daytime temperature is up to 20C - incredibly warm for April.
Our daughter took me to a large garden centre not far from here yesterday and I was amazed how much frost damage they had had over the last few days on hardy perennials, shrubs and fruit bushes and trees. No doubt, they will all recover properly but the damage was very obvious. It can't be easy for nurserymen/garden centre staff at the moment: frost at night, brilliant sunshine during the day and no rain (and Brexit)!

Good ground frost this morning, rapidly clearing in the sun at 7:15.

The weather is so up and down at the moment. We had to scrap ice off our car this morning but this afternoon it was 21 degrees in our garden! Poor plants don't know whether they are coming or going!

More frost last night and the tips of the potato foliage has browned although they were covered with double bubble plastic. But just in case you think it's cold now, my diary of 40 years ago reads:
24.4.1981: Heavy snow all day, by night drifts and blocked roads.
By 25th, my OH only just made it out of the village in the Landrover, following the snow plough part of the way into the Dales. Local farmers lost several sheep and many lambs which were suffocated in the snow drifts.

Bit of a light frost this morning, nipped my potato foliage although I had earthed them up reasonably well. My wife's phone showed some pictures taken three years ago on the same day and all the apple blossom was out on the Morgan Sweets and Bramley but this year they are only just beginning to flower I did some rotavating this morning and it was very windy but couldn't make my mind up what to sow, so I retreated to the glasshouse and potted on some Alyssums, at least it was warmer and out of that blessed wind.

Keep plodding on

Barney

Same here, Barney, the wind is coming from the East and has a real bite to it...looks like next week is going to be a lot cooler too, with the temperature down and a fresh North wind blowing!

Dear Monika, I think your long running diary, must be so interesting to go back through....

You are right about the diary, OH. I started writing a diary almost 50 years ago and have very, very early missed a daily entry. For the last 30 years or so I have also kept a weather station and each evening record the max/min/actual temperatures of the day, rainfall, wind speed and barometer reading. It's fascinating to read previous entries. The grandchildren, now in their thirties, twenties and mid-teens, are always intrigued to read what I wrote on the day they were born and then recording all their infantile antics!

There are so many contradictory weather forecasts around recently I am finding it hard to decide tunnel door open or shut. Nothing below zero despite the warnings inside or outside for a week now which I would take as no more late frosts down here now, but saw 2 different TV stations weather today & one said another cold snap coming & the other didn't mention it.
I hope they are right about a drop of rain on Wednesday though as undug beds are rock hard & brassica's need planting out.

We desperately need some gentle steady rain Here . Recently had virtually all our garden fencing and posts replaced so all adjoining borders had to be dug up and earth disturbed. Soil very dry down to a considerable depth so I fear new plants and seeds will start off with a moisture deficit this spring, and the strong winds are further drying out the soil.

I think the gorse fires we,re reading about in Northern Ireland and heathlands elsewhere are indicative of this general problem, One worries abiut the thoughtlessness of those casually tossed away cigarette ends and the massive damage they can cause to wildlife by the fires they can trigger.

Another frosty night last night though no frost was forecast. The potatoes were slightly nipped but they'll recover, I hope. And again, bright sunshine now, making the greenhouse temperature shoot up into the 30s in spite of all the open door, flaps and windows. That's nothing, however: I spoke to our son in southern France yesterday. They had a horrendously wet February but no rain since then ....... Lawns and pastures are going yellow.

I cut my first asparagus yesterday not many as it’s very slow this year I’m not sure all the roots survived despite being covered with manure

Just put up 24 wigwams of canes, ready for my runner beans...just need some much warmer weather now but, a good job out of they way.

We ate the first home grown salad leaves and radishes tonight!
All tomatoes and peppers are in their final growing pots now and in the next few days I will sow the runner, climbing and dwarf French beans in the greenhouse. It all sounds very grand, but there will only be about ten of each, due to our reduced growing space. It's all good fun though.