Funny old weather

[Odsox]

Here's a photo of my potato patch. It probably won't look like that in a week or two as I'm sure it will be riddled with blight.
We are now on our 3rd day of a Smith period with overnight temperatures about 15c and humidity has been between 92% and 95% all week. Plus the forecast is for much of the same until the weekend.
The first one and a half rows are Duke of York, then a row and a half of Maris Piper, then a couple of rows of Sarpo Axona, the only ones to probably survive, and furthest 2 short rows of Desiree.

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On the other hand my gooseberries are at least 2 weeks early, normally reckon to have a first pick for Whitsunday dinner, and my Loganberries are even further forward as they are normally picked in July.

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[Green Aura]

Our warm spell (all two days of it) is set to break tomorrow - the Met have issued a yellow weather warning with torrential rain and flooding. Fortunately I don't have any spuds in, other than a few self sets, or they might get washed out to sea.

[ina]

I wouldn't mind a bit of that rain - none forecast for us here in the east, and I can't keep up with watering!

[Odsox]

I have just picked half a kilo of the largest gooseberries as that branch I photoed on Thursday had been stripped by yesterday.
We didn't get much of the rain they were forecasting yesterday either, just a heavy downpour for about half an hour yesterday morning and a gentle shower last evening, and that was it. Didn't start to fill my water tanks.
Today it's sunny and the humidity has dropped off, so at least that's an improvement.

[Green Aura]

No, it didn't happen here either. I went out for the day, not knowing how to dress for the promised storms, and nearly melted! We had a light shower on the way home and that was it.
Although I did note, on my FB feed, someone out canvassing for the election in shorts and t-shirts huddling under a brolly in a sudden hailstorm (down in Yorkshire)!

[Weedo]

What is the worlds weather coming to? We have been forecast 6 consecutive frosts for the next week and it is still only autumn !!!!!!

On this question, do your seasons begin (Officially) at the start of the month or when they really happen, towards the end of the month? For us Autumn officially ends on 31st May but in terms of sun position etc. Winter does not really begin until around 20th or 21st June

[Green Aura]

Well Spring officially starts on the 20th March but after that no one seems to mention it - and winter, which, really should start on the 20th December seems to start (and be talked about as starting) about a month earlier, or at least from the beginning of the month.

Up here Spring starts in very late April, Summer is usually on a Tuesday, Autumn starts in early August and Winter in early October.

[Odsox]

My seasons are very odd mainly because I live on a narrow peninsula with no real land mass, plus I'm only a couple of hundred yards from the sea.
So my seasons are pretty much controlled by the sea temperature. The sea temperature is at it's maximum when everyone else starts winter and at it's minimum when everyone else has mid-spring.

What that boils down to is it usually very mild here from November to March and then cool from March to May.
Spring starts on January 1st and summer starts June 1st, then Autumn from November 1st and winter December 1st.
It took quite a bit of getting used to as far as growing stuff was concerned, and it still catches me unawares at times.

[Odsox]

Actually quite a nice day today, although others might disagree
It's been gently raining all day, what the Irish call "soft" weather, and it's refilling my irrigation tanks nicely.
Plus as I grow most of my stuff under cover it hasn't stopped me working, planting out savoy cabbages and Brussels sprout plants, plus a few lettuces, and tying up the fast growing tomatoes.
So all in all not a bad day.

[Weedo]

OS, there must have been Irish where I grew up in the Strzelecki ranges in southern Australia - we also called that gentle soaking rain "soft weather". Where I am now this is a rarity; we are on the border between a Temparate climate (hot summers, some rain all year round) and a Grassland climate with sporadic rain, hot summers and summer drought. What we generally get is the hot summers, rain at most times of the year (much less in summer) but a lot of storm rain.

This year has been dry through Autumn which has set planting back at least a month - it will be touch and go to see if we can get things in the ground in time this year.

[Flo]

At the moment it's raining the sort of rain that soaks into the ground which can only be good as it's seems to be dry about 15 feet down up here - well at least a spade depth down which isn't good for the average allotment crops.

[Weedo]

15 feet of soil? My place can only manage about 1m to 1.5m then it is alternating layers of sand, gravel, clay and silt down to bedrock at about 60 metres. No deep cultivation around here.

[Flo]

No Weedo not really 15 feet of soil - it's just clay that you can make bricks out of locally so it can feel like that when digging. It can be dry concrete or wet thick pouring concrete - or even workable on days like today. One of my allotments is well improved but the other one ... Much work to be done.

[Green Aura]

I've been away for a five days in which we've experienced sun hot enough to crack the flags (paving stones), hailstorms and torrential rain which made motorway driving really difficult.

I'm pleased to note it's back to warm and sunny now we're home.

[ina]

But daily heavy showers... Will it ever dry up again?

(Next thing, I'll be complaining about lack of rain! :) )