Allotments 4 All

We have rain in the South West 

(A brief respite so I don't have to go water it today ! )

Yeah! Watching it out of the window, been tracking it on the radar praying it doesn't go up the Bristol Channel and miss us. Maybe the greens will start growing again.

I have been so wanting rain, the watering is killing me. We have used almost 1000 litres from water butts during the past few weeks. The sky has gone grey and is cloudy, rain radar says soon. I hope we get a jolly good soaking. Near to glasto so weather forecasting is very local at the moment

Nothing here in the West Midlands yet. The ground is dust dry and all the water butts are now empty.

I was almost 'singing in the rain' while I was shopping this morning here in Torbay - a big smile anyway! It has been raining again since 3pm so I'm hoping my water butts are filling nicely.

Tricia

No rain here yet but I keep thinking I can hear a few drops on the windows - wishful thinking.

It has recently arrived here just about dripping has covered the road now..  Did some digging this morning and it was very dry indeed.  Watertable still very high, so I have been holding off doing much watering.

Like you I have been tracking the rain, but sometimes it just splits down the middle and leaves us high and dry.  But it did mean I got my washing in and did not have to dive about getting wet,

Only just enough rain at the moment to get the slugs excited so far.

we had some rain too this morning, first for weeks. Won't affect the water butts I don't think but it was a good heavy shower that will at least freshen up the ground and give the leafy veg a drink.

A nice drop of rain here yesterday afternoon and again during the night. Some heavy showers this morning, but now it's blue skies. More rain forecast for tomorrow.

Grrrrr  . After several heavy showers this morning I just found out that the downpipe from the roof gutter was blocked where it fed into the water butt. What a waste of all that lovely water! Still, with more rain forecast it will soon fill and overflow into the second butt now that I've cleared the obstruction. 

Tricia

Had an outing Tuesday to a garden near Maidstone 12 miles away, got rained off, but dry here, did a talk on Thursday in Edenbridge 10 miles away , it poured hard but still dry here.

One heavy storm for a few minutes yesterday, then it is raining pretty solidly all morning, and then suddenly the sun came out and we have had several glorious hours.  I think the plants have all grown several inches.

2.9mm FRIDAY, 16.8MM TODAY ! (so far) YIPPEE!http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/Smileys/Lots_O_Smileys/blob7.gif

our 1000 litres in water butts are all replenished from empty, what a mighty lot of rain after weeks of sunny/hot and dry. Two days ago we had the worst rain we have ever experienced, absolutely torrential, hail, lightening. Drains could not cope. I put 2 new pot grown blackcurrants out that morning, so they will have liked that. It  is amazing how much more energetic and glossy the plants look after real rain, not water from a can even if rainwater, must be the rain in the air as well

I am not going to be fretting over blight, what will be will be. Going up to the allotment shortly, would have been there by now but hey ho, it is raining after met o said just cloudy.

we have been having a few days of occasional showers, so the ground has been nicely watered. I am sure that now the beans and courgettes will come on a treat.

It is amazing just how fast things seem to grow after rain, even if well watered.   My beans were slowly climbing up the canes, and suddenly they are right at the top.

Got drenched in Greenwich yesterday, got home 50 miles south to find no rain at all. Water tanks less than a quarter full, no other source of water other than carrying it from home.

Looks like Swindon got some whil I was away getting rained on at Glastonbury, the waterbutts were near empty when I left and are all full now.... off to the plot to find out what it's liek there soon...

Well, my mate phoned me to say we'd had rain overnight as his waterbutt was full - well off traipse I to my plot hoping for some remedy to the dry dust and foot deep cracks in my highly compacted silty soil - alas it looked the same as before as though not a drop had fallen on it.