Solar power

I just wanted to post this chart to show why it's possible to grow things outdoors in Ireland. It’s about how much solar energy is received by latitude due to the tilt of the Earth. If you’ve been a grower for a long time you know that the peak months of June and July are when plants really motor away; this is because of the amount of sunlight they receive across a 24-hour period. 

The graph shows the energy that the equator gets (blue line), the other lines are latitudes moving away from the equator. When those lines cross or go above the equatorial line, it means that latitude is getting the same or more solar energy than at the equator across a 24-hour period. For us from about mid-May until late August we get more insolation than anywhere along the equator, which is why they are the peak months for growth and it’s all down to the length of the day. The equatorial day is nearly always 12 hours long; in summer here in Ireland, we get nearly 18 hours of sunlight. That is why we can grow so successfully outside in the summer. It’s a short period, but productive!

No joy

We were away for several weeks during a period when we hoped there would be little vineyard work required. When we came home, we thought we'd see major progress. But disappointment came quickly. Not only did the vines not grow as much as everything else, especially the very robust weeds, but the grapes were also underdeveloped for the time of the season. The grapes we had seen in Spain more than a month ago were far more robust than ours were now. The flowers had set and there were grape buds, but I certainly wouldn't call them grapes.

The weather while we were gone was a healthy mix of rain and sun, so we were quite hopeful. The data from Met Eireann shows the same pattern as last year for July.  But it doesn't look like we'll get anything like a substantial harvest by mid-September. Perhaps there was not enough rain. Perhaps not enough heat. Perhaps the vines will produce for future generations. Who knows?

https://www.met.ie/climate/available-data/monthly-data