Garden weather records: learn what happens at your own site

A simple rainfall and weather record helps explain why a crop succeeded, struggled or needed extra water. Nearby forecasts remain useful, but your garden’s rainfall, frost and wind exposure may differ from the nearest reporting station.

Choose measurements you can maintain

CoCoRaHS training emphasises consistent rain-gauge placement and reading. Begin with a suitable metric gauge and a notebook. A simple well-maintained record is more useful than many sensors whose position, units or calibration are unknown.

Set up the record

1. Place the gauge according to its guidance, away from roof runoff, irrigation spray and obstructions that distort collection.
2. Read at a consistent time and record millimetres, the date and the period covered. Empty it after recording.
3. Write “not read” for a missing observation rather than entering zero. Distinguish several days collected together from a single-day total.
4. Add short notes on strong wind, hail, frost, unusual heat and irrigation.

Connect weather to crops

Record sowing, emergence, flowering and harvest dates beside the weather log. Note where damage occurs: a low corner, west-facing wall or exposed edge. Rainfall is only part of the water picture; litres of irrigation and whether moisture reached the root zone help explain the result.

Compare without overclaiming

One wet month does not establish a new climate pattern. Compare several seasons and use official climate information for long-term planning. If you move a gauge or replace a sensor, note the change so an apparent shift is not mistaken for weather. Keep original readings when preparing a summary.

Namibian climate and microclimate

Thunderstorms can be highly local, and a frost pocket can be colder than the settlement around it. Coastal fog and hot inland wind also affect plants differently. Record the conditions you observe without converting every observation into a regional prediction.