The sun will rise at 3:50 this morning, and set 19 hours 57 minutes later at 11:48 this evening. By next week, it’ll be setting after midnight. The rate of gain of daylight is slowing down by a few seconds a day, now.
It’s also warmed up at night, although cooling down in the daytime, as the air flow has shifted to the southwest, bringing moisture to the interior of Alaska. Not much precipitation yet, though we’ve had a few sprinkles and enough clouds to warm things up at night and cool them down during the daytime. With luck, it will stay above freezing now. With even more luck, the fire danger will ease off.
I’m crossing my fingers on the squash and basil, but we planted most of the garden Saturday. I still have the plastic up on the hoops, but I hope I won’t have to use it on anything but the squash. I’ve planted two of the raised beds with mints and herbs, surrounding them with flowers, and tried something new this year with strawberries. If it works, it should keep the berries cleaner and much easier to pick, but I won’t know for sure for a few weeks yet.
And here in the eastern UK, sunrise at 4.57, sunset at 20.59. I can garden well into the evening now, but the guinea pigs are coming in from their lawnmowing at 7 since the temperature drops quite quickly in the shade. After a week of warm weather (mid 70s/22-24C) it’s cooler this week and will become very wet. Bleah. My climbing beans must go out before they attach themselves permanently to the greenhouse. The tomatoes need to go in the growbags but might get some overnight protection. I have strawberries ripening but had to put cloches on them to keep the blackbirds out. The garden is filled with parents feeding baby birds. As long as they clean up the caterpillars and slugs, I’m happy!
It’s interesting to compare different latitudes, longitudes and time zones.
Those raised beds made from cinder blocks are an interesting idea. Is that your invention, Sue Ann, or did you get that idea from somewhere else?
I think I saw the idea in a newspaper article, years ago, but I’ve worked it out myself. The blocks are just stacked, not mortared, and I didn’t level the ground as well as I should have.