The Big Chill - starting April 4/5th

Harry Palmr

Get ready to drag all your fleeces back out! Get straw and grass cuttings, and anything else to hand and move seedlings back indoors cos it's going to be cold potentially very cold for next week.

Open this and watch the deep blue of arctic air sweep down over us.

https://www.wetterzentrale.de/en/topkarten.php?map=1&model=ecm&var=1&run=0&time=120&lid=OP&h=0&mv=0&tr=24#mapref

2011abc

Thanks , many will be lulled into false sense of security by current scorcher .I think I have desert sand on my car roof !

SnowyMuckish

Thanks for the heads up! It’s probably too far away yet to be definitive but how cold are we talking and for how long?

I was planning on moving some salvia this week but I might hold back for a while.

Jim_Hodge

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up! It’s probably too far away yet to be definitive but how cold are we talking and for how long?

I was planning on moving some salvia this week but I might hold back for a while.

It probably depends on where you are. Check met.ie
For me it's just down to 2c for a three night of nights.

I planted some bergonia bulbs last weekend in two half barrel yolks on the fence. Do I need to protect them?

magicbastarder

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

It probably depends on where you are. Check met.ie

met eireann tend to be quite conservative on these things, they don't forecast really bad weather until the modelling pretty much says it's inevitable.

Jim_Hodge

magicbastarder wrote: »

met eireann tend to be quite conservative on these things, they don't forecast really bad weather until the modelling pretty much says it's inevitable.

I actually use the UK Met Office, as I along the border. I just suggested Met Eireann to the OP as he may be more familiar with it.

ellee

Yeah looks pretty cool for me, down as low as 1 degree some nights. Must throw some bark on the more tender plants.

magicbastarder

for dublin (airport), met.ie are now predicting sleet and 1C in the wee small hours on monday morning, and -1C on tuesday morning.

fryup

should i cover my rhubarb? or is it hardy enough?

Supercell

fryup wrote: »

should i cover my rhubarb? or is it hardy enough?

Rhubarb is pretty tough, this wont bother it one bit.

fryup

probably benefit it? heard frost is good for rhubarb

Harry Palmr

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

I actually use the UK Met Office, as I along the border. I just suggested Met Eireann to the OP as he may be more familiar with it.

I only consult met error for laughs.

lordgoat

All the seeds going in this weekend will get a good cold snap then!

fryup

leave it till after the cold snap

magicbastarder

it's due to drop to 0C tonight in dublin.

Harry Palmr

This cold spell is on the downgrade at a rate of knots, will be chilly at night certainly but the threat of persistent cold wind from the north is receding.

magicbastarder

Harry Palmr wrote: »

I only consult met error for laughs.

so they were right after all?

Harry Palmr

They changed as the facts did, which is as science degrees. I view Met.ie with some scepticism for their graphics, (which are frequently contradictions of the written/spoken script), often poorly managed weather warnings and various other quirks like a rain radar that fails when it rains.

frosty123

Looks like the big chill has been put back to mid-week... probably never happen now I reckon

Reckless Abandonment

I have a large garnet maple tree in a pot. (6ft) im thinking throwing a bed sheet over it at night as its a real feature in the garden and don't want it to get any frost damage. Is this worth trying or a bad idea.?? Im normally not to worried about trees and late frost. Just want to try keep this one 100%

I've been wanting to put some seed potatoes down for the past few weeks, but have been waiting for this cold snap to pass. Am I being too cautious?

I've covered the strawberry bed with fleece though and put fleece over a bed where nasturtiums are starting to peep out of the ground. Took scallions (in pots) and moved them to greenhouse. Have a couple of cabbages in large pots that just sprouted... put them in the greenhouse under fleece.

Have a rake load of chives... could harvest them or cover in fleece, but am thinking they are tough enough to survive this snap, given they already survived through the winter.

SouthWesterly

MeepMeep2021 wrote: »

I've been wanting to put some seed potatoes down for the past few weeks, but have been waiting for this cold snap to pass. Am I being too cautious?

I've covered the strawberry bed with fleece though and put fleece over a bed where nasturtiums are starting to peep out of the ground. Took scallions (in pots) and moved them to greenhouse. Have a couple of cabbages in large pots that just sprouted... put them in the greenhouse under fleece.

Have a rake load of chives... could harvest them or cover in fleece, but am thinking they are tough enough to survive this snap, given they already survived through the winter.

All my late spuds went down on friday

SouthWesterly

SouthWesterly wrote: »

All my late spuds went down on friday

You're a braver poster than I! Hope they do well.. can't beat fresh homegrown spuds.

Deub

MeepMeep2021 wrote: »

You're a braver poster than I! Hope they do well.. can't beat fresh homegrown spuds.

Just planted potatoes shouldn’t be at risk as they are not near the surface. For the ones just coming out now.. it is another story.

beggars_bush

Promised even colder this coming weekend and into next week.
Like everyone I've seed trays all over the house waiting to plant out

Hocus Focus

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

I actually use the UK Met Office, as I along the border. I just suggested Met Eireann to the OP as he may be more familiar with it.

I live in Dublin and I use the UK Met Office, also Windguru, and a number of other weather sites, as I sail a boat. and the advice to sailors is to never depend on just one source of information.

Ms2011

MeepMeep2021 wrote: »

I've covered the strawberry bed with fleece though

Strawberries should be fine, mine have been under a foot of snow several times without a problem.

Ms2011

Ms2011 wrote: »

Strawberries should be fine, mine have been under a foot of snow several times without a problem.

That's mad, but good to know! I didn't know they were that hardy. I had them under fleece for most of the winter before last.

Ms2011

MeepMeep2021 wrote: »

That's mad, but good to know! I didn't know they were that hardy. I had them under fleece for most of the winter before last.

Yeah even the runners I took up and potted on last September have been out all winter through hale and storms with no bother to them

fryup

is this freaky temps for this time of year?