Global warming

[andrewo]

If you have been watching the news recently, the media have been doing their usual hyperbole on three degrees from danger, regarding the greenhouse effect and carbon emissions. Though they like to whip up a frenzy and generally cause a nuisance (never let the facts stand in the way of a good story), I wanted to just take a straw poll.

For instance, when I moved to my present house 6 years ago, I tried outdoor tomatoes and they failed, too cold (it may have been the season) but every year for the last 3 years I have been able to grow yellow varieties and last year, red tomatoes that ripened on the vine. This to me indicated the weather patterns around me had changed, the winters confirmed this as we are now seeing real snow again around here for the first time since the early eighties (when I say real snow, I mean, there isn't a cat in hells chance of me making it down the path without sinking).

So, I'm interested, have you noticed you can now grow things that 6 years ago, due to weather (and not our experience) you wouldn't even try?

[Nicos]

Yes and global dimming too. I can't really say I can grow crops which I couldn't before although I think the Romans grew grapes in England, so fluctuations in weather do occur in history.
We certainly had to cut the lawn right through to the end of November last year, when we would normally do the last cut in September. Not needed to cut it this year yet!
Is anyone doing the BBC climate investigations on their computer?

[JennieAtkinson]

Interesting subject - we seem to get some very odd weather patterns - poor summers like last year (very grey, sunless, cold and strong northerly winds) - even veg in the poly tunnel suffered, outside growing was a non starter - and yet better winters. We have just had five consecutive calm days of blue skies, sun, no wind and bit of a frost at night. Fantastic! Last week the temperature was 10 degrees, almost a summer day

25 years ago when we moved here summer was May and June (if you were lucky), but now we can get some super weather in April and late August and September, but pretty awful weather in May, June and July. Four summers ago, we had six weeks of brilliant hot sunny weather, even reached 28 degrees - unheard of, but never repeated. Probably why there was a sudden interest in gardening up here. Previously the same deckchair and barbecue, sat in the home furnishings shop here year after year!

Somebody said the whole in the ozone layer was over north Scotland and everyone here thought great, it'll be warmer. The result seems to have been inconsistent weather, which unfortunately is the worst thing for growing flowers and veg - but each year you live in hope - optimistic lot aren't we