Too soon?

After some stunningly glorious March weather, with wall to wall sunshine and temperatures miles above average for the time of year, I'm getting a bit concerned about the possible April backlash. Nature has a way of evening things out and it is highly likely we'll be shivering rather than sunbathing over the Easter weekend. We could certainly do with some rain, but cold and frosty (and snowy?) weather could have a devastating impact on the allotment.

The problem is that the generally mild winter and recent very warm weather means the fruit trees and bushes are so far advanced to the point where the blossom is already about to burst. This will be a lovely sight but a couple of sharp frosts could do for the whole potential fruit harvest later in the year. It may also check the seedlings that are sprouting in the greenhouse and polytunnel. I'm less concerned about the seedlings as they could easily be replaced. The fruit, on the otherhand, has one chance to flower, be pollinated and set for the year. Fingers crossed the cooling trend means the flowers will stay tightly closed and not appear again until the risk of frost has passed. It may be too late for some of the early flowering plums but I hope the apples and pears hold on a few weeks more. If the blossom does appear and is not damaged by frost, there's still the risk of damp and cold weather impacting on bee activity and pollination may suffer. It will be a testing few weeks to come...

I sowed some tomatoes and peppers on Monday and was surprised to see action by Friday. It always amazes me how viable seed simply wants to grow given the right conditions. I have Sungold, Apero, San Marzano, Tigerella and Golden Sunrise all showing now with only San Pedro (bought from Lanzarote about three years ago) reluctant to germinate. If the weather does turn cold for a while I may start to struggle as they'll have to stay indoors for longer than I had hoped. These were supposed to be passed on to the polytunnel at the plot to make way for the second batch of tomatoes and other tender crops. As my wife tells me every year, I may have started them off too soon!