Kitchen Garden Forum

I have just totalled my monthly temperature and rain records and find that for the whole of April we have only had 19.5mm rain (less than 1 inch in old money!) and most of that right at the start of the month. The ground is really dry and hard in places. The forecast for today was heavy rain showers but they never materialised - this morning was sunny and warm, this afternoon cloudy and cold, but still no rain and none forecast. And the tubs on the allotment are almost empty.

Dear Monika, there's meant to be very heav rain late tonight and most of tomorrow as well but, i don't think it is going to get far enough North to reach you, i'm afraid.

Time for a rain dance, Monika - do remember to keep twirling clockwise while you are chanting.

John

i can empathise, it has been the same here in the south east, my garden is a bit schizoid, where I have not mulched the clay soil is dry and hard, where I have a thick layer of mulch, it is beautifully moist and crumbly with worms right up to the top layer, I have been planting through the mulch,taking care to replace the mulch around the plants and stuff there is looking very happy, only problem is it takes time to build a thick layer of mulch. in autumn I cover a few beds with used chicken bedstraw, the rain dilutes and washes it into the soil and I am left with a clean layer of straw to which I add dry grass clippings seed free dry weeds and spent crops on top. The bonus is the mulch keeps weeds down too and any weeds that do manage to struggle through pull out easily because it is moist and crumbly underneath. I dry weeds on the paths before adding on top of the mulch.

Well i have just woke up feeling a little peckish, and it's hammering down with rain here now.

It's hammering down here as well. Very welcome, but I think we've had enough for a little while

It feels quite Autumnal out there!

Dry here....at the moment..we had 10mm rain night before last.....so want some dry today to get some wire covers off a row of Peas and get some sticks at them.

....but as our old boss used to say... We have what we get and be thankfull for it..............

Weather station has just made it to 50F.....but chill NE wind blowing from the coast...

Clive.

Well, it is dry here today (so far!) but we have had some really heavy showers during the week. Yesterday, we were just preparing to go to our allotment and the heavens opened. We waited an hour and although it stayed cloudy and cool, it didn't rain anymore and we got everything done that we had planned to do, plus a bit more. Just a little bit too much more, if my back is anything to go by, this morning!
Cheers.

It's raining here and the winds are dreadfull
That reminds me we'll soon be putting runner beans in

Peeing down most of the morning

Be careful what you wish for, I was moaning that the garden needed water, there were cracks in the soil around the onions that I could get a finger into. Yesterday the rain started, great joy! but the temperatures have dropped at least 10 degrees (down to normal for the time of year I might add) and there is no likelyhood of it clearing up until after Wednesday!!

In the wind and rain until four pm now.
Under Sixteens Rugby ten a side festival.

Well, it has dried in the wind this morning...and the Early Onward Peas are now sticked...in fact post and wire on one side and Ash Sticks on the other side of the row.

Clive.

Like summer here today, but frost threatening for tonight