Growing away

I went up to pick elderflowers this morning. There's a tree near the bottom of the short rows of Solaris now. I noticed that vines were hanging down from the trellis. When I checked on them, I realised they had grown a good deal since we pruned last week. It was like some of them hadn't been pruned at all. So I started working the row. It was better lower down. 

The elderflowers are now steeping in hot water with lemon zest. I'll make the cordial this evening. 

We're expecting a lot of rain tomorrow, and the skies are dramatic today, portending stormy weather. We ended the month of May with somewhat normal rainfall and warmer-than-normal average temperatures. We're already ahead of the average for June rainfall, but not for temperature. 

Elderflower harvest

One cherry on the smaller tree

Cherries already ripening on the larger tree

Monthly values for NEWPORT up to 09-jun-2025

Total rainfall in millimetres for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	105.0	112.4	59.3	102.8	88.2	60.2							527.9
2024	125.7	197.5	152.5	119.4	48.8	80.7	80.8	257.5	44.1	150.7	143.3	173.7	1574.7
2023	183.2	91.6	188.4	121.1	48.5	77.9	206.8	139.8	142.4	144.7	209.6	293.8	1847.8
2022	98.8	260.4	67.8	84.0	107.0	148.0	59.2	104.1	97.3	233.9	187.5	154.6	1602.6
LTA	166.4	146.6	129.0	98.0	99.2	93.5	111.6	133.0	131.8	153.9	180.9	190.7	1634.6

Mean temperature in degrees Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	6.0	7.1	8.9	11.6	14.0	12.1							9.7
2024	6.1	7.9	7.9	9.9	13.1	12.9	14.9	14.9	13.6	11.8	9.2	8.2	10.9
2023	6.6	8.0	7.6	9.9	13.3	17.4	14.9	15.8	15.2	11.9	8.7	7.9	11.4
2022	7.2	7.1	8.0	9.9	12.6	13.8	15.9	16.2	n/a	12.2	9.4	5.2	10.7
LTA	6.3	6.4	7.5	9.5	12.0	14.2	15.5	15.5	13.8	11.1	8.5	6.7	10.6

Mean 10cm soil temperature for NEWPORT at 0900 UTC

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	5.1	6.0	8.1	10.9	15.4	n/a							9.1
2024	4.2	6.5	6.5	9.5	13.6	14.4	15.8	15.4	13.7	11.2	8.9	7.2	10.6
2023	5.2	6.8	6.6	9.1	13.7	18.6	16.3	16.3	14.7	11.1	7.6	6.7	11.1
2022	6.2	6.2	6.3	9.3	13.2	14.8	16.8	16.6	n/a	11.5	8.4	4.4	10.4
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Global Solar Radiation in Joules/cm² for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	7308	11955	25430	44615	64505	13065							166878
2024	7248	12401	23032	39685	47333	50366	49632	38203	31451	16628	6586	4121	326686
2023	6245	10639	21429	37277	55732	58473	41797	36857	29338	16225	8326	4411	326749
2022	6311	10756	33399	40555	51569	47246	48439	51169	n/a	15988	7869	6167	319468
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Potential Evapotranspiration (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	12.9	22.0	39.5	70.1	100.3	21.1							265.9
2024	15.4	18.2	36.0	56.9	74.7	76.7	80.9	60.8	49.0	27.6	14.2	15.6	526.0
2023	14.3	20.9	33.0	56.4	83.3	100.6	70.1	64.4	50.1	26.1	14.2	14.7	548.1
2022	13.7	23.0	47.2	60.6	77.7	76.0	80.4	82.0	n/a	27.2	17.2	9.2	514.2
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Evaporation (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	17.1	30.5	55.3	97.0	139.0	30.5							369.4
2024	20.2	25.4	51.9	83.7	104.9	109.8	112.6	88.3	67.8	37.5	18.4	20.0	740.5
2023	18.8	28.2	47.6	81.6	118.2	137.1	99.5	89.1	67.8	35.5	18.4	19.0	760.8
2022	17.9	32.4	66.5	86.8	114.5	109.2	111.1	113.2	n/a	37.0	22.0	11.4	722.0
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Degree Days Below 15.5 Degree Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2025	294	235	205	132	82	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2024	293	221	234	169	91	89	45	41	77	117	191	228	1796
2023	275	210	246	171	85	18	39	26	53	118	203	237	1681
2022	256	234	235	171	97	63	30	28	N/A	103	185	320	N/A

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Notes on the Data

Evaporation and PE data are calculated using Penman/Monteith formulae.
The ‘LTA’ (referred to within a table) is average for the climatological long-term-average (LTA) reference period 1981-2010.
Data updated daily at Mid-day.
To view the Weather Events for Public Works Contracts data, select a station first, then click the link just below the map.

Open data

Vines in mid-summer

 

The Vitis vanessa grapes in the polytunnel are progressing nicely. The clusters are a nice shape and size. There is a good quantity for the first time. 

The Albarino vines we kept in pots are variable. One is vigorous, one is just getting along, one is trying to leaf, and one is playing dead. 

The vines in the vineyard are doing very well, and, if we have a decent summer, we may have our best harvest yet. One vine in the short row of Solaris is hosting a bird's nest so Alex chose not to prune near it. Yesterday, a plump female pheasant popped out of the hedge in front of him and made a ruckus running away from Alex as a mini-me popped out after her and stood perfectly still. It's nice to know we are harbouring biodiversity. 

Bird's nest in the vine.

What's really surprising is that many of the baby Rondos we planted this year have already developed one or two clusters of grapes. We only lost one plant in the drought, and the second one we thought had perished has just sprouted a leaf. 

I spotted my first ladybird (ladybug) of the season and bagged the few cherries we have, which are already turning red. Lots happening in the polytunnel and gardens. It may be a lovely summer as the high is on its way. 

Newly planted Rondo with two bunches

Hello ladybug!

Cherries protected from the predators. 

Poor cherry tree got a severe pruning this year and will again next year.

In the nick of time...

Alex securing a vine to the wire trellis

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day in the vineyard pruning vines and training them onto the trellises again. There were branches down throughout the vineyard from the strong winds on Saturday. There had been vigorous growth, and many of the vines would need to be tied on as their weight would be a problem in the strong winds forecast for tonight. My problem was that I am too short to reach many of the canes, nor can I reach many of the wires to tie them on. 

Today, Alex started on the vines, including pruning, tying, replacing broken poles and pulling weeds from around the plants. I came out with him after lunch and tied what I could, starting with the Chardonnay and Pinot noir, which are still short compared with the Solaris. 

It was already blowing pretty hard, and we had only until 4 pm when the heavy rain was to arrive. We had to skip pulling weeds and pruning. We just managed to tie up all the heavy loose branches when the weather turned. Let's hope we did enough. It is forecast to be gusting into the 40s. Better than yesterday's forecast which showed gusts over 50 knots. 

Interestingly, as I started pulling weeds from around the baby Rondo vines planted this year, I noticed that two of them had two bunches of grapes forming each. Astonishing. I had to stop pulling weeds halfway and join Alex in tying up because the weather was turning so quickly. Just as predicted, it started raining heavily at 4 pm. So here I am documenting the case of the June Bank Holiday rush to secure the vineyard before the storm. 

See the baby grape clusters?

This lovely grape cluster is readily visible. 

Much tidier

Even the roses got tied up this week. 

PS It's gusting over 55 knots!