Has Anyone Had Spring?

Prompted by checking back on my garden diary for last year and noting that it was a very pleasant 25 degrees on the 24th of May when I planted Charentaise and Sweetheart melons out into the garden, I thought I’d see just how bad this year has been so far.  It certainly feels as though it has been continuously cold and wet with very little sunshine.

Putting together some very rough statistics for the months of March, April and May, or Spring as it used to be called, revealed the following:  In 2011 we had 21 days of rain and 66 days of sunshine over those three months.  In 2012 the figures were 20 wet days and 41 sunny ones.  This year – up to 25^th May we’ve had 60 wet days.  That’s sixty days when it has rained or snowed for at least half the day and night.  Sunny days have been a mere 24.  

And it is not as if it’s been lovely tropical precipitation, either.  The sun is shining at the moment – although we’ve had very heavy showers, too today – but the outside temperature was only 11 degrees at noon.  Last year it was 32 degrees on this day, although I had commented in the diary on a welcome cool breeze; in 2011 it was 35 degrees.

Looking down on the Col du Tourmalet on the last day of the season

Yes, there has of course been an upside to all this precipitation in the form of an epic ski season.  There is still masses of snow up at the Col du Tourmalet, which will make for an interesting ride up to the Col with the Geant next weekend.  But there was just so much snow that the elevated avalanche risk level resulted in the closure of the resort and the access roads on a number of occasions.  We may have had the most powder days of any season since we arrived in the Pyrenees, including one on the very last day of the season, but we’ve also actually managed to get out onto the hill less than in the previous two years. 

It is in the garden the real impact is felt, and will probably have knock-on effects right through the year. 

The snow begins to fall on the leek bed in March

In theory the leeks should go in the ground in the middle of June, but the seedlings are currently no bigger than a pin.  Winter cabbages, kales and broccolis are doing little better, getting repeatedly waterlogged in their pots and modules despite my best efforts.  We may go hungry (or vegetable shopping) next year.  Indeed I can imagine the 2013 Hungry Gap just running on into 2014.  I bought a cabbage yesterday; I’ve bought nothing apart from spuds and onions and the odd carrot (which I cannot seem to grow) for two years.

The tomatoes outside and hating it.

Most of the tender things to crop over the summer and fill the freezer and larder for the winter like tomatoes, chillies, aubergines and peppers, beans for drying,  went out a few weeks later than usual when a rare warm day hinted at a return to normal.  Growth has predictably been minimal and slug predation high.   Courgettes plants have been entirely lost.  Twice.

My melon plants this year are not yet beyond the seedling leaf stage, they are in the kitchen with some back up tomato plants and all the squashes.  And yet more courgettes.  And we’ve lit the fire to keep them and us warm.  I cannot remember the last time we had to light the fire beyond March. 

We did get to fill our new pond in record time and entirely with rain water; it is now overflowing and just adding to the water logging of the garden!

I feel partly responsible and as such need to apologise.  In December we put up a weather station.  A week later the precipitation started and has hardly stopped since.

The Weather Station on a rare sunny day.