Hi Everyone
A Frost risk has been issued for next week 22nd Monday through to Wednesday 24th so get your fleeces ready.
Please don't shoot the messenger.
Gordon
I wish Metcheck would make their mind up. They did this about a week ago, then changed the forcast, now it's back again. ???
A frost at my allotment would be a distaster, many people have planted out their tomatoes.
ever since the first warning, i've been checking constantly to see how the forecast for the 23rd looks, and none of the sites i look at have me at less that 3 degress.
i think i'll follow me nose ;D
Same here. I don't take much notice of forecasts beyond a couple of days, and it's easy to identify nights with a frost risk this time of year anyway. If it isn't clear, cold and still, there's no risk. If it is, there might be.
Like Robert, I follow my nose - or really my eyes, I look for a clear sky - if I can see stars, and its nippy, maybe time to cover up some plants!
Although haven't planted much out yet, have been very industrious this year though - surplus plants are getting a head start in plastic cold frame on allotment, main plants are being fussed over in my back garden, where I can nip out quickly and cover them if necessary. Sorely tempted to follow fellow allotment holders who have planted out already though.
It's just practice. I used to spend long periods out in the mountains, often a long way from weather forecasts, and I got into the habit of relying on my own forecasts.
Put some of my tomato plants out yesterday - now I see that metcheck forecast says frost for the next 3 nights! S**'s law! :(
Hi All
Metcheck has not been updated since Friday Morning so them figures being quoted are probably wrong. I've switched to this site as it is updated every couple of hours.
Heres the link
www.weather.co.uk (http://www.weather.co.uk)
Gordon
I put out 40 plants this weekend too, still have courgettes, melons and pumpkins/squash to plant out ...
for pete's sake, just had a check on there meself and - figures are heading our way too again.
btw can someone tell me, what's the bit i should be scared of, the ACTUAL temperature being - or the "feels like" as well.
wish they would make up their minds!! I checked the day before yesterday and the night temp was going to be 5 + !
Planted out all of our beans, sunflowers, nicotiana, gazania and some begonias yesterday >:(
I was planning on planting out the rest of my courgettes, pumpkins and squashes today while hubby looks after the boys for a while for me. Maybe I'll hold off until next weekend, they can stay in their cosy cold frame for another week.. If you don't have enough fleece for all your plants I protect some of mine with upturned plant pots. Esp usefull for courgettes and bigger plants.
We have a frost threatening, I have just planted out everything :o
the last frosts hear last year was the 10th 0f june i do hope it wont happen this year
If you should be unlucky and get frost on tender plants you can often save them by spraying them with COLD water from a butt before the sun gets to them.It must not be from a tap as that will thaw them too quick.
Thanks Laurieuk,
If you think I'm getting up at 4am/go to the top of our village carrying a watering can full of butt water to defend my courgette plants - sorry!
Like the old advice though.
:P :P :P :P :P
call yourself a serious gardener tel ????? roflmao
for us with en-suite plotties (i.e. in the back garden), that fact is now filed under"mustn't forget".
thanks for the tip laurieuk ;D
We had hail twice 2day as big as peas and flattened my seedlings :'( that were hardening off :'( summer where are you? ::)
Hail, torrential rain, gusts, thunder and lightning today in Peterborough >:(
Sorry for your seedlings too roy :'(
theres a frost forecast for many up north tonight so get the fleece ready!
No frost here, but temperatures dropped to 2.6°C overnight. :o
Though my aubergines seem okay.
now i know this will sound daft ( 8)) but do - figures automatically mean "frost" ?
::)
We had the hail last Sunday pm and in my rush to put the frame lights back on the one I had put the toms in broke and tried to cut my index finger off!
Be careful out there!
:(
I believe that 'Minus' figures do mean frost as long as there is moisture enough to produce ice crystals. But you can counteract this through the use of fleece to protect the plant.
You can get frost even if the official temperatures stay above freezing. As the heat radiates away from the surface you can get a layer of cold air forming just above the ground. Since cold air is heavier than warm air, it stays there. So the recorded temperature at this lower level can be colder than the officially stated temperature. In a local area, for example, you soon get to know where the 'frost pockets' are, and where you'll find black ice... despite the rest of the roads being unaffected.
Quote from: Gadfium on May 30, 2006, 10:04:15
I believe that 'Minus' figures do mean frost as long as there is moisture enough to produce ice crystals. But you can counteract this through the use of fleece to protect the plant.
Cheers for that, have never been quite sure ???
Quote from: Gadfium on May 30, 2006, 10:04:15
You can get frost even if the official temperatures stay above freezing.
:o :o :o
fleece is going on tonight anyways (and more being delivered today i hope), but that wee fact has just thrown me totally.
trying to grow things just ain't easy is it ? ;D
An air frost and ground frost are different, the temperature that meteorologists report is taken at or predicted for about 1.5-2m above ground, at night the surface temperature is often several degrees cooler at surface level. As such a ground frost can occur without the air (at 1.5-2m) ever reaching freezing point.
An air frost is where the temperature at 1.5-2m is 0°C or below, a ground frost is where the surface temperature is at 0°C or below.
This difference means that a ground frost threatens even when the reported/expected air temperature is several degrees.
Last night we got no ground frost, here in Tunbridge Wells, but the air temperature I recorded at 2m fell to 2.6°C at some point during the night (it was only 4°C at 7am). We were lucky not to get a ground frost.
:o ::) ???
so i should be a bit careful even as high as +3 ? i don't think i'm EVER gonna get a sustained period of that high !!!
Cheers for the info though.