Growing in 2021

[Odsox]

Funnily enough it's better here. March and April were cold and wet (and windy) but most of May and all of June so far, have been "normal" Irish weather, mild with rain at least 2 days per week.
Everything is now growing like mad especially the grass.

[Weedo]

I don't know what is going on here, we are still getting 3-4 frosts a week, some rain and temps are still mildish (teenc C) but very poor and patchy germination of anything and growth is extremely slow. We are hand feeding everything when we would usually be over supplied with feed. The broadacre croppers around us are having the same problems.

[Flo]

Nothing knows what it's doing here with very hot summer weather, humid days and the odd day of torrential rain nonstop or days of passing violent showers and hot sun. You hear the cry of "my cabbages are splitting" and "my turnips are going to seed" - well yes the kale has done that along with the summer turnips.

[Viper254]

Things are starting to chug along a bit better here, albeit what feels like a good month behind. Finally getting broad beans in decent quantities, and a few spuds. Runners and climbing beans are well and truly off, lettuces are coming in thick and fast.

Kale, spouts and broccoli all seem to be chugging along happily.

Getting the fruit now as well; first tayberries after the bush was put in two years ago, and I quite like them. First few raspberries, and the strawberries are in full swing as well.

Currants starting to get there. Feels like things are taking off a bit :)

No apples on the trees, but they're still a little young really.

[Weedo]

still very little growth here; now cold and continually wet; rivers and dams are at max so we expect to be flooded out in the next few weeks.

[ina]

There seem to be floods all over the world. Where's the water coming from? All that defrosting arctic and antarctic?

[Weedo]

I don't think there is any more water around, just that the rain patterns are becoming more severe. Also, with deforestation, chemical farming and loss of soil structure from cultivation the rain is not being absorbed into the earth "sponge" and slowly released later.

I read somewhere recently that water, and the way it behaves, is a scientific anomaly - it really shouldn't exist. Much like the bumblebees ability to fly

[Flo]

Thing is - all the promises from the met office around here of rain does come with the warning that it will be showers and those won't be evenly spread over the area. In other words, thunder and hail 5 miles away in one direction, heavy showers 2 miles away in another. And the heavy showers seem to hit the urban built up areas which don't have the drainage to clear sudden outbursts. So floods in one place and nothing on the allotment site up road. So well watered roads and less well watered crops. And my goodness it would be nice to have a proper watering from rain on the allotment plot I have rather than something to settle the dust.

[ina]

I read somewhere recently that water, and the way it behaves, is a scientific anomaly - it really shouldn't exist. Much like the bumblebees ability to fly

If that is true, life itself would be an anomaly? Seeing that we are mostly water...Makes you think.

[Weedo]

we get the same, rainfall now depends on being lucky (or unlucky) enough to be under the cloud at the time.

so, the dams did as expected and overflowed - our entrance road is under 2 metres of water and we are commuting by boat (1 ute on each side) and the bottom lands are under flowing water. However the weather has cleared up, frosts seem to be over until spring anmd stuff is actually growing

[Viper254]

Do you lot watch the weather radars in your respective countries? Sometimes you can get a better picture of the local patterns. They're not infallible but the UK has one of the best networks in the world.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/wea ... fall-radar

[ina]

Never knew about this - looks good! Thanks for pointing it out.