April starts with changeable weather. Soil frost comes to sunshine. And rain, which gives farmers further buffers for the summer.

The good news in advance: According to the German Weather Service, March 2023 was the wettest March in 20 years! no comparison to last year. This creates relaxation in Germany’s soils. However, this March was also quite mild; the vegetation started a good ten days earlier than in historical comparison.

Especially in Lower Saxony, there is apparently relaxation. According to this, a third of the annual rainfall already fell there. Enough to fill up the empty groundwater reservoirs a bit. It is not yet enough for a long, dry summer, but it is a better starting position for Germany’s farmers than that of their colleagues in Spain, France or Italy.

Soil moisture makes sowing difficult

But if you wanted to start sowing summer cereals or German potato laying next week, you need some luck and possibly patience. Due to the many precipitations now at the weekend, the soil is damp down to deeper layers. However, the high soil moisture does not fit so well for laying potatoes.

The lower temperatures in the coming week are also rather unfavorable to bring the tubers to the start. Nevertheless, it could go for pre-germinated tubers especially in the northwest (temperatures up to 10°C). It is still too cool for unconditioned tubers next week.

Rain further relaxes the situation of farmers

Over the course of the weekend, a low pressure area moves from Great Britain via central and northern Germany and then further southeast. At the beginning of next week, a high pressure area will be built up over central Europe, which will calm the weather for the time being.

Ground frost dampens the processing

Here comes ground frost in the next few days.

Today, the temperatures are still mild between 10°C in the south and 15°C in the north. In the course of the weekend, temperatures drop and it gets frosty cold, especially in northern Germany, with temperatures at night around the freezing point and around 5 to 8°C during the day. In the south, it remains a little milder with temperatures between 2 and 5°C.

In the coming week, temperatures at night will drop below freezing throughout Germany. During the day, the temperatures range between 5°C in the east and south and 10°C in the north and west. This means that the probability of ground frost also increases sharply at the weekend and at the beginning of the next week at night, with the highest probabilities in the north and east of Germany. In the course of next week, ground frost can also be expected in the middle and south of Germany.

Further precipitation fills the groundwater

Both today Friday and on the weekend rain is falling all over Germany. Snowfall is to be expected in the mountains. At the beginning of next week, the clouds slowly loosen up and make room for the sun. From the middle of the week, there could be some occasional precipitation again, especially in the west and south.

Source: agrarheute.com