When does it start to warm up were you live?

[OldMcDonald]

I prefer cold and snow to heat and bugs... I can add another layer to stay warm.The only good thing about summer is fresh tomatoes.

Actually it's what you're accustomed to. I enjoy our four seasons here and don't like it when we have a warm rainy winter.

It does not get hot here. Never more than a degree or two over 100ºF, and that very rarely, since we came here 12 years ago (from the far North of Scotland). Mid 80s normal summer heat, and dry. Occasional mosquito but not many. I do know what 0ºF feels like, and I do not like it. I do not like 110ºF either, and had that in Australia. I agree that you can always put on a another layer, and that there is nothing left once you have stripped off to bare skin.

We do get winter frosts, not normally enough to kill olive or eucalyptus, but it did in 2007. We have a long growing season, and can grow most things in the garden except for varieties of crops that are bred for the north of Europe and like it a bit cooler. First asparagus of the season yesterday. Not a lot, so put it in a stir-fry. There will be a lot more today, so fillet steak tonight. Freeeze a few (slightly better than nothing in the winter) and lots of soup for next winter too.

Outdoor tomatoes, melons and cucumbers were all novel for me. Previously had to raise them indoors. A big range of fruit trees too - but just too cold for citrus. I try every couple of years, but always lose them.

tractorgp, The Portuguese still eat an enormous quantity of dry salt cod, but I understand the fishing fleet was decimated in an EU carve up of fishing quotas for each country.

 

[Jstpssng]

Anything over 70 is too hot for me, whereas 0 isn't that bad until the wind starts blowing. My thermostat here is set on 60 while I'm here, and 50 when I'm gone; which helps keep me acclimated to the cold.

Do you have ways to mitigate the cold in the olive groves to keep from losing the trees, or do you need to start over? That's quite an investment if you need to start over and wait 3-12 years. I know that Florida orange growers will sometimes spray their trees with water to keep from losing the crop to a frost.

One member here raises grapes commercially and lost many of his vines to weather a couple of gears ago, I'm not sure if he replanted or how bad the damag was.

 

[BLUE ME]

Monday

Mainly sunny. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming northwest 20 early in the evening. High minus 3. Cold wind chill minus 26.

Not Yet.

 

[Mendonsy]

17 this morning with about 2" of lake effect snow then the sun came out and melted some of it. Now it's snowing again!
Forecast for tomorrow morning is a low of 12 and more lake effect! Just another spring day!

 

[Mendonsy]

17 this morning with about 2" of lake effect snow then the sun came out and melted some of it. Now it's snowing again!
Forecast for tomorrow morning is a low of 12 and more lake effect! Just another spring day!

 

[vtsnowedin]

+ 5 here tonight with a stiff wind. . Rain predicted for Thursday. About time!

 

[oldpilgrim]

30F today

11 tonite

No spring yet.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Do you have ways to mitigate the cold in the olive groves to keep from losing the trees, or do you need to start over? That's quite an investment if you need to start over and wait 3-12 years. I know that Florida orange growers will sometimes spray their trees with water to keep from losing the crop to a frost.

A copper spray can help a little, and is used for fungal treatment anyway in the autumn. Some give a further spray towards mid-winter just in case there is a low enough temperature. Normally the temps do not go down far enough to cause permanent damage. That is an obvious thing to say, otherwise there would be no trees, but true. Any fresh growth late in the autumn that has not hardened off is frequently killed, but there was one night (I forget the date without checking) when I recorded minus 7C and there were millions of trees killed or severely affected across the country. I took the opportunity to grub out an old grove that had 77 trees, badly spaced and some missing, and replaced them with 180 that are now coming into production. I also lost about 100 new trees in another grove, but at €2 each the loss was not great.

I hesitate to post this, knowing the reaction of some TBNers, but since 2009 there has been a definite rise in temperatures and much less frost than we had in our first few years here. We had minus 6s on a regular basis, but not for a few years now, and went from mid Dec 2013 to 30th Dec 2014 without a frost. We had a few in January this year, the lowest minus 3C.

 

[Looking4new]

Our overnight temperatures are still in the minuses F.
Eventually we will get warmer, but I am not 'holding my breath'. We've got some plants started in the house and will swing into full production right after I get the rest of the grow lights, next week.

 

[murph1]

18 and cold. Ive given up on spring. Winter is here to stay.