Winter on the Allotment

 

I wouldn't have been on site, except for the annual farm yard manure delivery on Saturday.  A couple of inches of snow fell during the two hours it took to offload the lorries and distribute the bags. With frozen fingers I took this snap and retreated to the warmth of home.  At least the nets have not collapsed. The temperature has since gone up and the dramatically down to -5C last night.  The prediction is for negative figures every night until Friday. 

Snow Joke

 Visiting the allotment today for the first time for a week the brassica patch has been decimated by the pigeons, taking advantage of the snow weighing down the netting. The Brussel sprout tops are gone but the sprouts on the stalk are untouched! The spring cabbages have taken a serious hit though.

The carrot patch cover was droopy, but completely pigeon proof.  

And the crop has benefited from  some frost protection from net and snow.  I dug up some monster carrots today:

Thank goodness I removed the netting from the fruit cage.

Here is an example of structural damage that can result from the weight of the snow if you don't.

The leeks don't look too hot but at least they and the parsnips don't appeal to the pigeons!

A Snow Day

 

The view from the window suggests a day off from gardening duties.  

My workstation is definitely "snowed in"

Path clearing (on the street side) and birdfeeding will be the main outdoor activities today!

The Black Hill

 

A new year, but I am still trying to capture the Pentland Hills.  Today I am featuring the Black Hill.  Even covered in snow it manages to look dark and menacing, at least compared to its neighbours.  Reasons for it appearing black?  The view across the water (Threipmuir Reservoir) reveals the northern aspect of the hill, which in the winter is deprived of direct sunlight.  The hill is covered with heather, subject to controlled burning to increase the diversity of habitat, and light snowfall fall straight through the dark shrubbery.  Having walked along it I can confirm that what soil there is is dark and peaty. 

Can you spot which one is The Black Hill ?

Trees and vegetation can make for a dramatically different microclimate as demonstrated in this picture. Snow in the fields to either side, warm and dry along this path!

Winter Wander

 

Today we ventured out to the Pentland Hills only to find half of Edinburgh had the same idea.  We were lulled into a false expectation as our Christmas Day walk was, surprisingly, all on our own. Today every roadside was lined with cars and council staff were putting either warnings or penalty notices on the windscreens of particularly badly parked cars. All the same there was room and more tranquillity once you ventured away from the car parks! 

  

The trees were oblivious of the hoo-ha but displaying a seasonal streak of snow on the windward side. 

Even the most gnarled shrubs take on a festive look.

Just to confound all expectations at this time of year the gorse is flowering in places around the district. We headed home under a dramatic wintery sky

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all readers.

The Heat Is On

Peater The Heater

The temperature dropped to -2.5C last night.  Just as well I had dusted of the paraffin heater and deployed it in the greenhouse once the temperature dropped to 1C.   It maintained a temperature of about 8 degrees above the outdoor temperature.

Only one song for Peater the Heater

Snow Clearance

These before and after pictures don't require any words!

Blood On The Snowdrops

Recently I have been taking a couple of trays of onions outside daily to catch some sun.  I sowed them in January and now they are clogging up the propagator/sunbed.  I plan to move them to the (unheated) greenhouse as soon as practically possible, but I don't want to shock them so things are in abeyance.  Today has been a no go day as although the sun has appeared for brief intervals snow showers have followed in short order. So I am inside wondering why all the birds have gone quiet when I catch sight of this.

The dreaded sparrowhawk has returned and downed a pigeon.  I guess they are hungry in winter too.  (If it had been a sparrow I would have been more upset.)

Here is a suitable song for the conditions:

White Out

View from the window today:

It snowed on Christmas Day evening and the temperature has fluctuated around zero C since then so we still have that snow before this lot arrived this morning.

Just outside Edinburgh the Pentland Hills are transformed:

OK White Out /Wipe Out   - It's an easy mistake!

'Snow Joke

Edinburgh's been pretty cold of late.  Here's how the nursery beds looked last week

A bit of a nasty surprise for the daffs.

Since buying in my seed potato a couple of weeks ago the temperatures have plummeted. Today, Saturday, it's raining rather than snowing. Bad weekend weather means no plot visits, but I have stolen a march with some indoor sowings on the limited windowsill space we have. Will post about that next.

Fun in the Snow

Sledging at Craiglockhart

And what better winter warmer is there than a bowl of artechoke soup?

First locate your artechokes:

Spot the artechokes

 That;s why I don't chop them down to ground level.

Mining underway

Nuggets

Enough for soup!

Great when the temperature drops outside - but not so good for wind!

Today the snow eased up. But from the forecast there's more working up the east coast and due to arrive tomorrow rush hour. Many schoolchildren have got their fingers crossed.

Snow easing up???