Old Wives' Tale or not? Berry bushes predicting a hard winter?

Jnhuk

Jnhuk

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My mum always use to say to me that an abundant berry crop was a strong sign of a harsh winter ahead.

This year's berry crop looks to be one of the most prolific that I have seen round here for several years. Is this just a sign of the spring/summer we had, or is there some truth in the old saying?
 
Jnhuk said:
My mum always use to say to me that an abundant berry crop was a strong sign of a harsh winter ahead.

This year's berry crop looks to be one of the most prolific that I have seen round here for several years. Is this just a sign of the spring/summer we had, or is there some truth in the old saying?
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Will follow with interest as our garden hedges are heavily laden with bountiful fruits. I think I could have 100 people over for a day and there would still be some left to pick!
 
Hi Jnhuk, Bob the nota cob here, the worlds only computer literate horse(Irish draught of course) If you want "rocket science" go to Mike ,but for accurate meteorological forecasts I,m your nota cob. I have a pretty well unblemished record of forecasting on this forum. The thing about berries is that they grow well in settled warm seasons. (think blocking fronts and static high pressure) But a continuation of that pattern will, in winter ,produce the deep cold winters that you fear. Its all to do with the jet stream and the path it takes ,and also the water from the Gulf of Mexico. My best advice is simply to be prepared . I love the cold and deep snow. Then I can go play "|High plains Drifter cob " out on the downs .
 
Mike007 said:
Hi Jnhuk, Bob the nota cob here, the worlds only computer literate horse(Irish draught of course) If you want "rocket science" go to Mike ,but for accurate meteorological forecasts I,m your nota cob. I have a pretty well unblemished record of forecasting on this forum. The thing about berries is that they grow well in settled warm seasons. (think blocking fronts and static high pressure) But a continuation of that pattern will, in winter ,produce the deep cold winters that you fear. Its all to do with the jet stream and the path it takes ,and also the water from the Gulf of Mexico. My best advice is simply to be prepared . I love the cold and deep snow. Then I can go play "|High plains Drifter cob " out on the downs .
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:) LOL living in Scotland we are always prepared and usually plan to expect the worst!
 
Going a bit against the grain here (but bowing to Bob the nota cob's weather wisdom) but I think that fruit and berries are just like good grass, they will grow if it is sufficiently warm and wet and all the relevant ducks are in a row. The fact that they are abundant and will feed the wildlife well into Fall has little to do with what the Winter will be like.

The insects have to be around to pollinate, get a severe winter and the insects don't always fare so well, and that has a knock on effect. We had a frightful Winter, long and cold, with Spring getting a couple of false starts, it warmed up, things started coming out and then wham, back to sub arctic temps killing everything off again.

The mosquitos were enormous this year, butterflies and bees were way below numbers, crickets and spiders have been noticeable by their lack of numbers, and only a few cicada, usually my trees hum with them :( My lilacs didn't blossom, neither did my apple trees, no apples - AT ALL, for the first time in 8 years. Raspberries and blackberries had pathetic crops, I wish the walnuts had suffered but they never do :( Fabulous hay/alfa crops though, we have farmers taking 4th cuts at the moment.
 
Ahh yes but when does good grass grow. We nota cobs are expert in this field. You are looking for a bloody great blocking front ,somewhere over Siberia way .To halt the weather fronts that tramp in from the west. Or perhaps not halt ,but redirect ,north or south.Getting ones ducks in a row is great ,but the trick is to remember that ducks in a row in summer may lead to winter ducks in a row.
 
Winter ALWAYS comes to Canada ;)
I expect -15C for weeks on end (in the day) I expect snow for weeks.
I bloody love it, no rain, no mud, wonderful :)

Ducks get shot if they sit for long here :(

My hayman says that it will be another hard winter, Farmers Almanac says the same, no snow forecast until November, which is good :)

Me: I stick my head out of the door and what it is, it is. Nothing to do about it :)
 
Old wives tale! We have had perfect growing conditions for fruit, wet start, lots of water in the water table underground, lots and lots of lovely sunshine and now heavy dews.....no wonder the fruit is plentiful.

I am hoping for a very short and very cold winter, I hate long wet mild ones...
 
Enfys said:
Winter ALWAYS comes to Canada ;)
I expect -15C for weeks on end (in the day) I expect snow for weeks.
I bloody love it, no rain, no mud, wonderful :)

Ducks get shot if they sit for long here :(

My hayman says that it will be another hard winter, Farmers Almanac says the same, no snow forecast until November, which is good :)

Me: I stick my head out of the door and what it is, it is. Nothing to do about it :)
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I am very jealous.....I hate UK winters....
 
I hate snow and cold so I guess I am hoping for a winter like last one mild and reasonably dry round here although I understand that those that were flooded will fear it happening again So I hope you all get a winter like our last one not necessarily like the one you had
 
Had a lot of oak trees infested with the gall wasp so very small amounts of acorns which is bad for the Jays and squirrels the hedgerows full of berries but they are very small and the blackberries early and went over the top very fast and hardly any cherries but plenty of apples and plums. So I say cold winter short and sharp. :D
 
Has the daily express published the annual forecasters forcast the hardest winter ever story yet!
Or has there been enough real news not to need the story yet.

Agree with Amy may just means we have had an Indian summer!
 
Last year there was a lot of talk about a particularly rich harvest of nuts and berries ( a mast year) and what it predicted in terms of winter but we had a mild but wet winter. Previous years were much colder with multiple snowfalls in sunny Hertfordshire after a less rich harvest.
 
lannerch said:
Has the daily express published the annual forecasters forcast the hardest winter ever story yet!
Or has there been enough real news not to need the story yet.

Agree with Amy may just means we have had an Indian summer!
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Not yet, just a hot October apparently :rolleyes: They also predicted a washout summer and a heatwave within 10 days of each other (the predictions that is, not the weather.)
 
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