Allotments 4 All

For what it is worth, tomorrow the Extended Winter Forecast comes out.

Sounds good for a laugh.  At the moment they cannot get today and tomorrow correct.  So much rain has been forecast and so little has turned up.

Quote from: Poppy Mole on August 02, 2010, 08:04:56
Still no rain, but at least I haven't had to mow the grass for several weeks.

What grass?

You've cheated & seen my "lawn" - OK, I mow weeds & even they are not growing.

It is difficult to know what to do with concrete beds right now, they'll get no better lying there bare and crisp but I'm worried if I mulch them now I'll just be trapping the desert conditions underneath and I can't sow anything to rectify the situation.  Been waiting for a proper downpour to mulch, but it just never came.

What would you do?  I very much dislike having bare, exposed earth.

Saw the forecast last night.  Got really excited.  Loads of rain forecast.  Got up early only a few spots overnight.  Went down to lottie - dark cloud looming up.  Very excited now.  Three minutes of drizzle.  But wait!  it is drzzling right now.  Oh no!  Stopped already. 

What really worries me is that when it starts to rain it will never stop.

It's been drizzling all morning. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still pretty dry. We had a little rain the other day, and the stream was still dry the following day.

I'm just about to go out for the third time this morning to clear the rain off the chickens roof. So still plenty of rain in Cheshire.

It is no wonder the British weather forecasters word everything so tentatively.
It was fun comparing their wording style to our American forecasters for the extended outlook into Fall ;D

Blimey - it just rained!  In London!  For a whole ten mins...

Ten mins later and the Sun has all but dried it up already  :(

Quote from: earlypea on August 03, 2010, 06:53:29Been waiting for a proper downpour to mulch, but it just never came.

What would you do?  I very much dislike having bare, exposed earth.

I would water well by hand and mulch over that. The mulch will help the evaporation and cool the earth.
We had 10 minutes of drizzle this morning, it's just laughable.

It's just started raining in West Sussex  :D :D :D

Ninny

Hi All

When I hear you all alk of drought I think 'what drought?'.  Here in the Wild West we have had three abyssmally wet summers in a row.  This year, although we have not had your high temps, it has been a marked improvement.  Cooler here, with lovely days, interspersed by wet grey drizzle, and the more than odd overnight downpour.

So it's been a much better year for me here in the Tamar Valley.  Although potatoes were rubbish (not ENOUGH water during our June heatwave), and absolutely disastrous peas (not even on the 3rd sowing could I get a crop), everything else doing well.  My mother who lives in Essex has a frizzled up and dead garden, she's had no appreciable rain now for 7 weeks.  I almost feel guilty looking at my thriving hanging baskets and wondrously vibrant tubs out on the decking, not to mention a burgeoning lottie.

No crowing here folks, it's so terrible to see all your efforts go down the drain (if only), and I really do feel for you all.  I hope you all get a bit of the wet stuff soon, an can plan your Autumn and Winter growing.

Regards, Caro

Stuck in doors, dark clouds, heavy rain, rumbles of thunder I as so happy ;D

We had a 10 minute spell about 12.45pm, then on the way home from work at 2.10pm it poured down, I ran the last 300 metres home and arrived like a drowned rat, sod that running I wouldn't have been any wetter if I'd walked.       ;D ;D ;D

Me too, just got walked back from the allotment, thought it was only going to be a short shower, but ended up looking like a drowned rat. :( :(   Pleased to see some rain, as it saves all that watering.  :) :)

Quote from: Borlotti on August 04, 2010, 15:45:58
Me too, just got walked back from the allotment, thought it was only going to be a short shower, but ended up looking like a drowned rat. :( :(   Pleased to see some rain, as it saves all that watering.  :) :)

Post a picture please  ;D

Drought!!!!! I have grown webbed feet in Manchester. Praying for sun to cheer my  green toms up! >:(

I am in the Manchester area and we have not really had a dry day since the day they announced the hose pipe ban.  We are trying to empty our pond to clean it out but the rain tops it up every day.  At 12noon today the temperature was only 15 degrees, the only consolation is that we can not blame the goverment for the rain.

Well, that was nice  ;D  about a centimeter from the look of pots.

But, Friday's heavy rain now demoted to a light shower......... :(

Quote from: antipodes on August 04, 2010, 13:12:55

Quote from: earlypea on August 03, 2010, 06:53:29Been waiting for a proper downpour to mulch, but it just never came.

What would you do?  I very much dislike having bare, exposed earth.

I would water well by hand and mulch over that. The mulch will help the evaporation and cool the earth.

Trouble is, in beds where I've pulled up crops and not watered for a few weeks, watering only penetrates the top inch no matter how much you put on.  I would have to dig holes and water to get any in, but I don't think it's good to dig earth when it's as dry as this.

Maybe I'll stab it with a fork - if possible (concrete!) - and try pouring some in.

I find this a conundrum, same as last year...