Has Spring sprung?

[Green Aura]

I don't know about elsewhere but there's a definite change here. The last few days have smelled like Spring.

It's still rather nippy but glorious sunshine. With the snow still on the higher hills it looks quite magical.

[Flo]

There was a definite frost this morning. But also gentle breezes and warm sunshine the rest of the day so far. Of course, just as you are hoping for the ground to dry out the forecast for tomorrow is ... very wet.

[Odsox]

It certainly feels like it here ... for the moment.
It's been above 10 C overnight for a couple of days now and I've been planting up seedlings in the tunnel. But I have no idea when I can start planting my potatoes outside as I haven't even managed to dig the plot yet.

[Flo]

It's a case of anything planted outside at the moment needs to be aquatic. My spuds can't swim. My winter onions drowned and I have to start again.

[Odsox]

That's the problem here too Flo.
Up until 2 weeks ago Ireland hadn't had a dry week for 7 months and then it was frosty, so nothing dug ready.
Thank goodness for the greenhouses and tunnels.

[Weedo]

Looks the same here - except an early Autumn. Daily temps are not rising above low 30's C and then falling down to 10-14 C at night. Normallly Feb / March would be our hottest months with daily temps into the high 30's / low 40's and night temps around mid 20's. The few deciduous trees I have are starting to turn in the last few days, toms and early beans stopped flowering and "winter" grasses have shot - I wouldn't normally expect this for another month or so. I haven't measured soil temps yet but suspect they are lowering also.

Again opposite to you, we are still very dry and if we go into winter dry then we are in trouble growth wise - we need autumn moisture to shoot crops and pastures and winter moisture to ready them for the spring growth flush

[KathyLauren]

Oh, how I miss living on the west coast with its British-like climate! By now, out there, the snowdrops would have been and gone, the crocuses would be flowering, and the daffodils would be up and starting to set buds.

Here, we had 33cm of heavy, wet snow last week. It took me four tanks of fuel in the snowblower to clear the driveway. The temperature has not been above 4C in two weeks. Most of the snow from last week is still on the ground. There is an icy wind blowing off the water that never lets up.

They say that March is a good month because you know that spring is ahead. Right now, it feels far, far away.

[Green Aura]

Sounds like you have got British weather, this week anyway, KL. Although it's been glorious sunshine up here I believe further south it's snowing and freezing again from some rather untimely south-eastrly winds. Even in the sun there's a mighty chilly nip in the air.

[Flo]

We have icing sugar snow rather thick and lying with a wicked east north east wind adding a chill factor of -8 or thereabouts today. Underneath the soil is sodden from previous heavy rain and snow. KL I think that we both have the remnants of winter hanging on. Planting may well be April outside.

[Odsox]

Spring has most definitely sprung back down here.
I've just been looking at my last year's diary and noted that my Mirabelle started blooming on the 15th of February and although it has fat buds on it there are certainly no flowers out (thank goodness)
Also noted that the wild cherry was in bloom on the 24th of March and that tree is not even showing signs of waking up, and I don't remember last year being particularly early.

[Flo]

The lifeboat station at Amble posted an interesting video of the sea at their station. To think we lived about one minute from there and the oldest girl worked at the chip shop next door while she was at college.

This isn't spring yet.

[Odsox]

Back to spring today

The bumble bees have woken up and have found my greenhouse, just as my apricot tree has started blooming.
Saves me getting my tickling stick out today.

[KathyLauren]

We have icing sugar snow rather thick and lying with a wicked east north east wind adding a chill factor of -8 or thereabouts today. Underneath the soil is sodden from previous heavy rain and snow. KL I think that we both have the remnants of winter hanging on. Planting may well be April outside.

Implying that April is late for you? Must be nice! April would be very early here. The May long weekend (Victoria Day) is the traditional planting time in these parts.

[Flo]

Sheesh KL May is well into our growing season here. Start mid March and with any luck run through to late sowings of cash crops start of October.

[Odsox]

Quite so, in fact down here the recognised time to plant early potatoes is the 1st of March and start harvesting them on the 1st of June.
Certainly didn't happen this year though.