Allotments 4 All

They say that friday will be very cold - possibly minus 1. Should I rush out and cover the beetroot/ lettuce/radish seedlings? Will the carrots be ok? What about the peas???? Help.

You've beaten me to it!!

Only yesterday morning I knew that we were due for a frost - & was going to put out a warning.

How did I know?? The early potatoes are just breaking through!! They are the only things that I shall cover.

They are early!!! Only just put mine in.

I am wondering what you cover them with?? Only because I used last years tatty fleece to cover some early lettuce sowings and they seem to be doing fine.
Anything that I have covered with a plastic cloche has parched to death.

On Saturday the BBC 5 day forecast had Saturday night down as -1 and the next 4 days rainy and cold. By Sunday they'd decided that it wasn't going to rain till Monday( and it hadn't been -1 either ). Yesterday they had all day as sunny and rainy today with 3 degrees overnight ( it wasn't particularly sunny till 1 o clock and it was 5 degrees overnight). Today they've decided it will be clear again and the cold night has now moved to Friday. In other words, take no notice of anything more than an hour away.
Amusingly. the coldest part of the other night was supposed to be at 7 am ( 1 degree ) and at 7 am it still predicted that but also had the current temp as 4 degrees. The weather station in use is about 2 miles from my house.

Well done the Met Office,  >:( we have a ground frost in Hampshire last night - the ground is white over as I speak

Phil

I've stopped relying on forecasts from the BBC. They're rubbish. Metcheck seem to be right more of the time, and can do you a nice forecast for your postcode, rather than e.g. "southern areas".

Ahem:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,8216.0.html

Ground frost last night in Sussex and the local weather forecast on the BBC after the evening news said there was a risk. I fleeced my camellias and various other things so no damage done.

The tops of the cold frame were frosted but everything inside was fine.

While I listen to the forecast I also look at the weather locally. Last night about 8pm the high thin cold cover had gone and it was a bright stary night. Ideal for a nip in the air!

Jerry

Metcheck for my area is forecasting notable frost for Thursday and hard frost for Friday.  Nothing really vunerable out there but I will bring some of  my seed trays to sit on the dining room table during the night.

Here's the MetOffice's 4 week outlook:

"Valid for Valid for 28 March to 24 April 2005 
Rain in the south will peter out as pressure builds from the northeast during the first few days of April. However, the resultant easterly flow means often cloudy and quite cold conditions for the east while western regions enjoy the best of any sunnier weather with temperatures nearer normal. For the middle of April, Atlantic lows are likely to be more dominant bringing a more unsettled regime. In the southwest, higher pressure, on average, means there is a greater chance of lengthier drier periods than in the northeast, especially later. Even so, near normal sunshine totals are suggested for all areas. Temperatures are likely to dip below average for a time, recovering towards the third week in April."

We also got a light frost here last night but nothing at home seems to have suffered. Haven't been able to see how the allotment is but on Saturday I earthed up my potatoes as they were poking through the ground, glad I did.

Ground frost here in essex this morning.  Hard ice on the car, but gone by 8.30am.

There was a light ground frost on the fields nearby, but if there was a frost at home (my garden is more protected than the fields) then it had melted by 8am. Must check the min/max thermometer when i get home tonight (we were already running late this morning!)

I must remember to protect everything this weekend.

i never rely on the metoffice-i think you may just as well stick your head out of the window and 'if in doubt -cover!'
kitty ;D

Goes to show the hard time they have -no frost in our bit of Essex (or if there was it was gone by 7) and we're, 20 miles? from you EJ? Not even on the coast.

Jeremy

No frost in Beds yet but Metcheck are predicting sleet & snow for Friday

No frost - just cold,wet and muddy here in N. Yorks: feels like summer!

Blowing a gale today and raining, but I spent 3 hours on the plot in the wind and rain, and yet didn't get wet!  The wind was blowing the rain all over so it must have either kept missing me, or was blow drying me as I got wet!

Glad I've got nothing in then, bar the toms and peppers on my windowsill.  :)

Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on April 06, 2005, 12:45:23
Blowing a gale today and raining, but I spent 3 hours on the plot in the wind and rain, and yet didn't get wet!  The wind was blowing the rain all over so it must have either kept missing me, or was blow drying me as I got wet!

How multitalented you are - gardening and dancing between the raindrops at the same time!!! ;)

Sleet and snow on Friday? Good grief! I thought summer was just around the corner. I was up the allotment on Tuesday in shorts and a t-shirt. I'll have to get my thermals back out of moth-balls.

EJ - that diet of yours is really coming along, girl ;D