Author Topic: Please Miss (Read 3197 times)

cleo · « **on:** July 07, 2010, 15:42:43 »

Could I have some rain??. Things here are getting beyond a joke,even the swiss chard has bolted. I cannot recall that ever happening before

aquilegia · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2010, 16:12:47 »

We had some today.

But the drops didn't even join up on the patio before it stopped.

I don't think we've had proper rain since about March!

I'm out there watering like a fiend most nights!

Need to harvest some carrots later (oh one of them has bolted I spotted earlier) I had to give the carrots a really good soaking in the hope I'll be able to get some out of the concrete, I mean, soil!

katynewbie · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2010, 18:20:00 »

:-\

My first year on my new plot and we have a hosepipe ban from Friday...and this is Manchester!!

:o

queenbee · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2010, 23:22:13 »

I too am in the Manchester area and have spent all day watering (with hosepipe) as Friday is the hosepipe ban.
We have been devising plans on ways to fill up buckets and bins. Our hot water takes ages to come through at home so we will fill the watering cans with the run of cold water. As I was watering today the frogs thought it was wonderful and they were out in force, I just hope they have a feast on the slugs and snails that will come out in the night.

PurpleHeather · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:33:26 »

The hose pipe ban is for domestic gardens.

Allotments = agriculture. I have been told they are exempted. Water Act 1945 But I will stand corrected if some one can show me that my information is wrong........

powerspade · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:36:20 »

River running low and the brook behind my plot is bone dry not even damp, We have had some rain but it has`nt made any difference only dampen down the dust. I raise some new potatoes yesterday for lunch the soil at about 4" deep is dry as old sticks

galina · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2010, 18:09:54 »

In the clay soil the cracks are inches wide and go all the way to Australia, it seems :(

I am fed up with watering and filling in cracks in the veg bed. One poor beetroot tried to span a two inch crack, one bit of root on one side and another on the other. In the little orchard the cracks appear in circles around individual trees gasping for water. Some are so big now, that we are really having to watch where we step, else a foot could just disappear.

We are in Northants and it hasn't rained for nearly two months. We also had a 2 minute misting this morning and a similar one a few days ago, but no rain to speak of. All collected rainwater is long gone.

I feel for people who have a hosepipe ban, not easy to keep things going on grey water in the garden and not possible for an allotment grower.

We seem to have a rainy season (winter) and a dry season (summer) these days. This is supposedly rainy Britain ?

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2010, 18:17:53 »

The stream at the bottom of my plot is just about running at the top of the site, and bone dry at the bottom. We had a shower the other night which got it running for about a day, but that was all.

aquilegia · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2010, 19:39:14 »

It's funny really isn't it because a year ago we were moaning it was raining too much... If only we could've evened it out somehow!

I'm not quite sure if "funny" is the right word!

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2010, 11:36:47 »

Our weather is running parallel to yours with no rain except the temps this week are hotter- 98 F yesterday.
When they ban water usage here it applies only to ornamentals, not foods.

charlie888 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 09, 2010, 12:38:55 »

I'm in Leeds and although we had a fair bit of nighttime rain a week or so ago there seems to be nothing I can do to stop my salads bolting, and it only took one day of getting in too late (and a bit too tipsy!) to water and everything was looking very sorry for itself! I don't know how you all manage with allotments, it took 7 full watering cans to do my small back garden last night and even then I'm not sure everything got enough.

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #11 on:** July 09, 2010, 14:22:29 »

Have you tried shading your lettuce with cardboard? I've tried that and a big umbrella over some plants which made an amazing difference in their leaves.

terrier · « **Reply #12 on:** July 10, 2010, 00:27:41 »

Years ago we had a lot more horses on our place and all the water came from a well. The well very rarely ran dry and, if it did, it was only for a few hours, then we could use it again. This year, the water table is very low, I've not got any water from the well for a week now. This may not be the warmest summer we've had in recent years but it's certainly the dryest by a long chalk. On the upside, no slug problem this year :)

carosanto · « **Reply #13 on:** July 10, 2010, 05:51:52 »

Hi All

Here in the Tamar Valley we've had wall to wall sun for two months now with the exception of one days proper soaking in early June and a couple of mizzly days recently. For the last two days we've had cooler but still muggy days, a bit overcast, but the hoped for downpours never materialised.

Strange that, after the last three terrible years of rain rain rain I look at the lottie drying up and wish for rain now.

Regards, Caro

shirlton · « **Reply #14 on:** July 10, 2010, 08:13:25 »

Hose pipes are banned all the time on Birmingham Allotments and can only be used to fill the water butts.Tone and my arms have grown an extra 2 inches over the last couple of weeks.

artichoke · « **Reply #15 on:** July 10, 2010, 08:34:00 »

<< Have you tried shading your lettuce with cardboard? I've tried that and a big umbrella over some plants which made an amazing difference in their leaves. >>

My much despised big old apple tree (people keep wanting to prune it or chop it down) is casting shade over my sweetcorn and other things and I'm pleased to see that the sweetcorn is the biggest on two sites I go to, and is flowering. Round their feet scramble squashes, also enjoying the shade.

My gazebo (much needed shade for people on a shadeless plot) blew over recently - maybe I should put it up again over some plants.

Another thing I have noticed is that those who run tidy, weedless sites have lots of exposed dried out soil, and their well spaced plants are growing very slowly and looking parched. My plants are crammed in together a bit untidily, and any weeds I get around to pulling up are laid over the ground as mulch, so it does not look wonderful - but things are growing reasonably well, especially potatoes.

galina · « **Reply #16 on:** July 12, 2010, 07:52:26 »

We were promised some rain last night by the BBC. Heavy rain at around 4 o'clock in the morning, light rain on and off all day today and still - so far it managed to miss us altogether. The grass is brown and looks dead, all the verges are brown and look like the grass has been 'weedkillered', but it hasn't. It is just too dry.

We never get much rain during summer here anyway (not even last year), but this drought is getting quite severe now, especially with the heat in the last week. How is everybody else faring?

Squash64 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 12, 2010, 07:56:10 »

IT'S RAINING IN BIRMINGHAM!!!

I've just got back from walking the dogs at the allotments - it's quite cold and I could definitely feel drops of rain in the air. Since I've been back, it's started to rain.

Who would believe that anyone could get excited over rain in England!

galina · « **Reply #18 on:** July 12, 2010, 08:02:54 »

It has started here too a minute ago. Very light drizzly rain, at least that's something.........YAY

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 12, 2010, 08:32:23 »

THere was a little bit in Swindon this morning when I was cycling over to catch the bus.... not really rain though, more like a dew that had been on one of those "Proactive self-confidence" courses.......... I guess it's because I've started to get things connected to the second auto-watering kit (#1 serves the polytunnel, the outdoor toms, the giganda beans and the celeriac, #2 currently has the gherkins, the outdoor cukes, the Atlantic Giant pumpkins and the climbing courgettes..... soon it will be extended to get the leeks, the cabbages, the brussels, the normal courgettes, the broad beans, the beetroot and the peas)

We're supposed to be getting some proper rain tomorrow......

chrisc

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Author Topic: Please Miss (Read 3197 times)