Batten down the hatches it’s about to get wet!!!!
With promising forecasts for a strong south easterly change this morning which should bring with it substantial rain, farmers around the Camden area wait hopefully.
The rainfall for May has been well below average, with only 9.2mm being recorded at Camden to date, according to “Weather Zone” statistics. The long term rainfall for this month is normally 58.2mm so expectations are high for a good fall of rain today. This will help local farmers who have autumn plantings of vegetables, fodder and green manure crops and have been experiencing dry conditions.
Lynette Rideout from Top Forty Orchard has noted that the dry conditions have resulted in a delay in ripening of citrus and slowed growth of her Garlic crop and some very confused apple trees have put on random bloom and set some little apples which will only shrivel up once the cold finally comes. Also of interest are soil temperatures, with no frosts at Oakdale yet soil temperatures are still high enough to germinate Pumpkin seed which normally requires a soil temperature of between 24 to 27 degrees Celsius.
According to “Weather Zone”, May has been far from average with maximum temperatures being 1.1 degrees Celsius above the long term average temperature of 20.5 degrees C. This slight rise may not seem all that important, with most of us happy for winter to hold off for as long as possible, however for farmers in the area it has brought a variation in growing patterns in many crops.
Linda Galea from Galeas’ Fresh Produce reports that her cauliflower crops are maturing faster with no harvesting break between crops, as they would normally expect at this time of year. This has kept the Galeas on their toes with extended work loads. Cauliflowers wait for no one. When they are ready they have to be cut and sent to market in a limited time frame or they will pass their prime and even bolt to seed.
For any avid gardeners in the local area, you may have noted that many summer annual flowers are still powering on into Autumn and your roses are experiencing an extend late Autumn flush of growth and blooms. Many Autumn trees have shed their leaves quickly instead of hanging onto them over an extended period as they normally do to protect their next years buds from the approaching cold.
Now is a great time to take advantage of Mays’ unseasonal warmth and plant winter vegetable and herb seedlings while the soil is still warm. Carmen from Patio Plants has a large range to help you plant out your plot.
Hopefully with the gentle rain now falling Mays’ unusual weather pattern will get a little more average and Mother Nature will follow her predictable path down the road to winter.
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