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I'll take some photos after several cups of tea. Unfortunately, I've already pulled or cut back most stuff.
In theory, Sydney has a temperate/sub-tropical climate. That designation is based on average temperatures, though, and they're based on 30 year records. The "average" temperature in February is 27 - in reality, it's a month in which we tend to get at least one heat wave (we're at the end of our second for the month now).
The heat is great for getting plants to maturity, but after that it can be a problem. We got a heat wave just as my tomatoes and capsicums started to flower and when that happens they abort a lot of the flowers and won't set fruit until the overnight temperature drops a little. While the tomatoes went on to produce more flowers and set fruit mid-December, the capsicum took a long time to recover and is only just flowering again now. I'll probably only get a few from the plant.
I had a similar problem with my zucchini. I got 3 off the vine - the rest died without the female flowers ever opening. I planted new zucchini about 10 days ago. It may or may not stay warm enough for the next 2 months for me to get a crop. Sometimes we're still getting warm weather in April and sometimes it's already cold then.
We get the heat waves every year, but how it affects the harvest depends on exactly what stage the plants are at when they occur and that varies from year to year. This year the "summer" heat started in September. Last year it was October. Because we had a la nina event, it was supposed to be milder in Jan/Feb this year but apparently the weather didn't get the memo.
I haven't had any snakes in my back yard but it's not uncommon for them to pass through in summer. I do get a lot of skinks. They love hiding out among the pot plants for both water and shade.
We don't get snow where I live but I'm relatively close to the mountains so when they get snow we get very cold winds. We average 10 days a year where the minimum temperature is <2 C (so frost).
Our problem isn't really the heat or the cold, it's that Sydney has frequent, extreme temperature fluctuations - especially around autumn and spring. Further north and much further south, the averages are hotter and colder respectively but the climate is much more stable. A single day of extreme variation doesn't seem to harm plants much but Sydney doesn't tend to get a single day of extreme heat or cold out of season - it gets several in a row and that's when plants take a real beating.
In theory, Sydney has a temperate/sub-tropical climate. That designation is based on average temperatures, though, and they're based on 30 year records. The "average" temperature in February is 27 - in reality, it's a month in which we tend to get at least one heat wave (we're at the end of our second for the month now).
The heat is great for getting plants to maturity, but after that it can be a problem. We got a heat wave just as my tomatoes and capsicums started to flower and when that happens they abort a lot of the flowers and won't set fruit until the overnight temperature drops a little. While the tomatoes went on to produce more flowers and set fruit mid-December, the capsicum took a long time to recover and is only just flowering again now. I'll probably only get a few from the plant.
I had a similar problem with my zucchini. I got 3 off the vine - the rest died without the female flowers ever opening. I planted new zucchini about 10 days ago. It may or may not stay warm enough for the next 2 months for me to get a crop. Sometimes we're still getting warm weather in April and sometimes it's already cold then.
We get the heat waves every year, but how it affects the harvest depends on exactly what stage the plants are at when they occur and that varies from year to year. This year the "summer" heat started in September. Last year it was October. Because we had a la nina event, it was supposed to be milder in Jan/Feb this year but apparently the weather didn't get the memo.
I haven't had any snakes in my back yard but it's not uncommon for them to pass through in summer. I do get a lot of skinks. They love hiding out among the pot plants for both water and shade.
We don't get snow where I live but I'm relatively close to the mountains so when they get snow we get very cold winds. We average 10 days a year where the minimum temperature is <2 C (so frost).
Our problem isn't really the heat or the cold, it's that Sydney has frequent, extreme temperature fluctuations - especially around autumn and spring. Further north and much further south, the averages are hotter and colder respectively but the climate is much more stable. A single day of extreme variation doesn't seem to harm plants much but Sydney doesn't tend to get a single day of extreme heat or cold out of season - it gets several in a row and that's when plants take a real beating.
.......How do you cope?..............
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