Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland

On 09/07/2015 21:59, philgurr wrote:
Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland


I remember when I was young my mother used to put Jam Jars on their
sides and slip the strawberries inside this kept the rain and the birds
off and gave them extra warmth to help ripen the fruit

"philgurr" wrote in message
...
Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland
weather not as bad as yours, but have had really bad germination this year.
The problem is, by the time you realise they aren't going to come up, it's
almost too late to sow more. 4 runner beans out of 10, 3 climbing french
beans out of 8.

"philgurr" wrote

Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Quite the opposite here. Ground is bone dry, grass is brown everywhere,
having to water daily just to keep stuff alive. After walking up and down
the plot goodness knows how many times with watering cans (40+) it becomes
wearing especially with the sun blazing down.
Our computer rain gauge is not working but the one on the plot has only
shown 4mm in the last two weeks which hardly wets the surface.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 10/07/2015 08:24, Bob Hobden wrote:
"philgurr" wrote

Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Quite the opposite here. Ground is bone dry, grass is brown everywhere,
having to water daily just to keep stuff alive. After walking up and
down the plot goodness knows how many times with watering cans (40+) it
becomes wearing especially with the sun blazing down.
Our computer rain gauge is not working but the one on the plot has only
shown 4mm in the last two weeks which hardly wets the surface.
Apart from that very hot day earlier this month the weather here in
North Staffordshire has been great. Just about enough rain to keep
everything growing!

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 09/07/2015 21:59, philgurr wrote:
Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland


I remember when I was young my mother used to put Jam Jars on their sides and slip the
strawberries inside this kept the rain and the birds off and gave them extra warmth to
help ripen the fruit

David, under normal weather conditions that might be a solution, but
humidity is so high with everything sopping wet that restricting the air
flow around the fruit would only hasten what is probably the inevitable
onset of grey mould!

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland

On 10/07/15 08:24, Bob Hobden wrote:
"philgurr" wrote

Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Quite the opposite here. Ground is bone dry, grass is brown everywhere,
having to water daily just to keep stuff alive. After walking up and down
the plot goodness knows how many times with watering cans (40+) it becomes
wearing especially with the sun blazing down.
Our computer rain gauge is not working but the one on the plot has only
shown 4mm in the last two weeks which hardly wets the surface.

The difference in rainfall between the north of Scotland and down here
in the south-east of England is quite remarkable. These are the rainfall
figures this year for south Hampshire (with days where more than 1 mm
was recorded in brackets):

Jan 95 (18)
Feb 65 (6)
Mar 19 (3)
Apr 29 (5)
May 57 (7)
Jun 33 (3)
(Another local weather station gives somewhat lower readings!)

So in the last 4 months we've had in total (in old money...) barely 5
inches of rain! I wouldn't be surprised if Phil got almost that in a
single day. It was lucky that Jan and Feb were so wet, and helped
replenish the reservoirs.

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

The difference in rainfall between the north of Scotland and down here
in the south-east of England is quite remarkable. These are the rainfall
figures this year for south Hampshire (with days where more than 1 mm
was recorded in brackets):

There isn't actually all that much difference north to south! For
example, Inverness has only 16% more than Cambridge. It's mainly
west-north-west to east-south-east - e.g. Stornoway has over twice
that of Cambridge and even Bude has 60% more.

The latitude differences are (a) temperature and hence evaporation,
and (b) higher altitudes get more rain (and, no, the Gog Magogs
don't count - nor, really, does anywhere in England south of Derby
except Dartmoor and Exmoor).

It's probably a bit unreliable, but I find www.weatherbase.com
very useful indeed, especially for holiday planning and this sort
of debate. I haven't found any gross flaws in it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
On 10/07/15 08:24, Bob Hobden wrote:
"philgurr" wrote

Snow in several places here last night and ice on my car this
morning. Runner beans, courgettes, beetroot and bedding
plants looking quite ill but other plants (peas, onions and
leeks) looking good. Strawberries looked good earlier but
the constant rain has caused the leaves to swamp the
developing fruit. Any advice on whether it would be a good
idea to cut of many of the leaves to allow light to the fruit.
Rather surprisingly, a superb crop of apricots in the
greenhouse.

Quite the opposite here. Ground is bone dry, grass is brown everywhere,
having to water daily just to keep stuff alive. After walking up and down
the plot goodness knows how many times with watering cans (40+) it becomes
wearing especially with the sun blazing down.
Our computer rain gauge is not working but the one on the plot has only
shown 4mm in the last two weeks which hardly wets the surface.

The difference in rainfall between the north of Scotland and down here in the south-east
of England is quite remarkable. These are the rainfall figures this year for south
Hampshire (with days where more than 1 mm was recorded in brackets):

Jan 95 (18)
Feb 65 (6)
Mar 19 (3)
Apr 29 (5)
May 57 (7)
Jun 33 (3)
(Another local weather station gives somewhat lower readings!)

So in the last 4 months we've had in total (in old money...) barely 5 inches of rain! I
wouldn't be surprised if Phil got almost that in a single day. It was lucky that Jan and
Feb were so wet, and helped replenish the reservoirs.

Wahee!!! Today was almost dry and I managed to cut the grass (the
only thing that is growing).

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland

On 11/07/15 10:24, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

The difference in rainfall between the north of Scotland and down here
in the south-east of England is quite remarkable. These are the rainfall
figures this year for south Hampshire (with days where more than 1 mm
was recorded in brackets):

There isn't actually all that much difference north to south! For
example, Inverness has only 16% more than Cambridge. It's mainly
west-north-west to east-south-east - e.g. Stornoway has over twice
that of Cambridge and even Bude has 60% more.

The latitude differences are (a) temperature and hence evaporation,
and (b) higher altitudes get more rain (and, no, the Gog Magogs
don't count - nor, really, does anywhere in England south of Derby
except Dartmoor and Exmoor).

It's probably a bit unreliable, but I find www.weatherbase.com
very useful indeed, especially for holiday planning and this sort
of debate. I haven't found any gross flaws in it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I agree that WNW-ESE has the major differences.

I'm not sure where Phil is (east or west Highland), but looking at
Wunderground records for the north of Scotland, I checked the rainfall
for Achfary, a western station, over the same 4 months
(http://www.wunderground.com/personal...50630/mcustom).
According to that record, it was 495mm - over 3 times what I
experienced. That for Kinbrace, an eastern station, over the same period
was only 225 mm
(http://www.wunderground.com/personal...50630/mcustom),
about 50% more.

--

Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
On 11/07/15 10:24, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

The difference in rainfall between the north of Scotland and down here
in the south-east of England is quite remarkable. These are the rainfall
figures this year for south Hampshire (with days where more than 1 mm
was recorded in brackets):

SNIP

I'm not sure where Phil is (east or west Highland),

We have modified West Highland weather. Aberdeen is East Highland
weather and that is 120 miles east of me. But I was not talking averages
but the diabolical summer that we have had this year.

Phil
40 miles N. of Inverness