After the rain and cold of 2012 I'm worried about 2013.
...so I'm hedging my bets.
The big question is: have the past 5 years been a downward trend that will continue with an even colder wetter year , or have the we bottomed out and are due for a sharp correction to restore the equilibrium?
What's your strategy? How are you preparing for the worst while hoping for the best?
The sweetcorn on the packet certainly look better than mine did this year thanks to the weather. My take on our climate is that it will get worse before it gets better. In about 15 years time, south of the Humber will be sub-tropical. North of the Humber will be frozen. You read it here first??
ReplyDeleteI don't think I really have a strategy Mal...Just pray a lot!!
ReplyDeleteI tried watercress this year and it didn't fair any better than my sweetcorn to be honest. :-(
Maybe we should all try rice next year?!?!
I think it is going to be a very bad winter here in eastern Canada. Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteYour weather across the pond however, has been pretty rough for awhile..so fingers crossed...next year will be a great year for you.
I'm always hoping for better weather. I try to grow veg that is super easy and not so fussy about weather as the weather conditions are so very unpredictable in Northern Ireland / Ireland / UK. Rain and gales are really bad where I live in early June which doesn't help.
ReplyDeleteI'm not planning on changing much for next year. I'm not expecting any dramatic improvements in the weather next year either. My take on our climate is we've past the Mediterranean peak of outdoor grapes and oranges and are slowly on our way to only indoor grapes and Spanish oranges.
ReplyDeleteWe just have to stay hopeful don't we?
ReplyDeleteIt's a tricky one isn't it...my strategy is just to expect the worst but hope for the best. I won't be doing things very differently, because I had a reasonable year, despite the weather, but here in the midlands we have had the driest year in 50 years followed by the wettest year for 100 years, so it could go either way and you will always have some failures and some successes
ReplyDeleteComplete absence of strategy! Getting everything dug, weeded and sown in time is the main aim.
ReplyDeleteWell well, the counting of trees goes on. Why two plates now? Why can the Council possibly need to count them twice?
Good question Mal, my advice is sow early. We'll probably be blessed with a spell of gorgeous weather come February, wishful thinking I know, get your spuds in then, and give them cloche protection when they need it. Didn't do me any harm this year getting them in as early as I could. Sow more than one variety too, especially onions, whites and reds. Lost all of one type, whilst the rest were ok.
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