Friday, 02 August 2019
Funny Month July
July turned out to be an odd month both weather and gardening wise. For the first couple of weeks July was on the cool side. On the allotment the more tender plants such as beans and squashes struggled to grow. Not only were the conditions cool but also dry and at times it was difficult to work out if tender plants were struggling from coldness or dryness.
July 2019 Temperature & Rainfall Data
Then over the later part of the month all that changed and towards the end of the month we had record breaking heat as the temperature soared to 35.7°C the highest I’ve recorded in 10 years.
Following on from the heat which only lasted for a few days the weather turned wet with heavy thundery rain to end the month.
Luckily we missed the torrential downpours that affected other parts of Yorkshire. This July finished, for us, as the 4th warmest and 3rd wettest of the last 10 years.
July Temperature & Rainfall Records 2010 - 2019
I think the rain came a bit late for our potato crop as the heat and dryness caused the haulms to start to die back and they never recovered. However, from the first few early potato varieties we’ve lifted I’m hopeful of a much better crop than last year. By the end of the month our beans and squashes had started to grow at a faster rate giving more hope of a crop.
At least the rain means it’s been possible dig over the bed where we lifted our early potato and replant it with French beans Safari.
I was hoping to raise some spring cabbages in modules at home. The seeds had only just germinated when the hot spell of weather arrived and the seedlings didn’t survive as the combination of hot sunshine and excessively high temperatures dried them up. I’ve resown some seeds directly on the plot. It’s unlikely they’ll have to cope with any extreme temperatures but once they germinate they’ll have to survive attacks from slugs especially if the current damp conditions continue.
To finish off with I've updated my list of the top twenty hottest days I’ve recorded over the last 10 years.
It's unlikely now that we are at the beginning of August for any more days this summer to make it into the top twenty list.