I wrote at the end of my last post that on Sunday night, we had some rain, making it our wettest day since the middle of March. In total, we had 12mm of rainfall, so not exactly a great deal.
Friday, the inevitable happened and Yorkshire Water imposed a hosepipe ban. Watering food crops and filling fish ponds is allowed, but we use a watering can to water anyway. We like to know how much water the plants are being given. I always think that when using a hosepipe, plants are given much less water than you think. Our council advice is only to use a hosepipe when using a can is impractical, but that is very subjective.
Martyn and I spent three hours each watering on Friday, but that time could probably be halved if our water supply was fit for purpose. We had to water during the afternoon, when for most of the time we had the site to ourselves. Later, when more people arrive, watering is more or less impossible, especially if someone chooses to use a hosepipe..
We are still awaiting a visit from the council to investigate the problem.
We needed to prepare another bed for planting, but as I have mentioned, the ground has been too dry to dig. We had one area that had been planted with overwintering brassicas. These had been planted through weed control fabric and, due to being planted up, had been watered earlier in the year.
Martyn was hoping Sunday’s rain had rendered the soil diggable.
This proved to be the case, although if he had delayed, the heat that followed later in the week would have closed the window and the ground would have dried out too much.
Now we need a cooler day so we can do some planting.
We continued to gather some small harvests.
The first lot of peas has been very disappointing. We have had very little from them and the plants are now yellowing and are unlikely to produce anything further. Peas just haven’t enjoyed the conditions. Last year we harvested enough to be self-sufficient. In fact, we still have some in the freezer.
Sweet peas and dahlias still have very short stems. On the other hand, the courgettes are enjoying the sunshine and heat.
As you can imagine, courgettes are featuring in many of our meals.
One meal was a vegetable korma that also used some of our cauliflower, peas, onion and garlic. This was served with a homemade peshawari naan.
Another meal was a turkey stir fry, which also used our onion and garlic. It was based on this recipe.
At Nostell, the five cygnets are growing quickly. Under the watchful eyes of their parents, they came to enjoy the food that we had brought.
A video of the cygnets and Ruby enjoying herself is posted here#pronk
One thing that made me angry was when an off-lead spaniel came bounding up and sent the ducks scattering. Dogs are supposed to be on a lead by the lake for a reason. One of the swans looked to be ready to defend the cygnets, and I don’t think the dog would have escaped lightly if an adult swan had decided to attack.
We noticed that the beech trees were loaded with nuts or mast. When the trees are loaded it’s referred to as a mast year. The local squirrels will have plenty of food to store.
I wasn’t expecting to come across fungi in the local park. I associate fungi with autumn and damp conditions, not a hot, day mid-summer. Other than it is a bracket fungus I have no idea what type it is.
Last week, our afternoon visit was to the 100-acre Thorp Perrow arboretum. The arboretum is home to some of the largest and rarest trees in England. It houses five National Collections and 51 Champion trees.
The arboretum is in North Yorkshire, where, if the grass is anything to go by, they must have had more rain than we have.
During the afternoon, park vehicles were pulling trailers loaded with large water bowsers, and watering some of the trees but I doubt that they would also have time to water the grass.
There were plenty of shady areas under the trees.
The Thorp Perrow estate is privately owned, with the public and private areas being separated by a large lake.
There was also a very abundant bog garden that was flourishing despite the lack of rain.
Below are just a few extra photos.
That’s all for this week, so as always, stay safe and stay well.
Again, I am joining Harvest Monday on Dave’s Our Happy Acres blog.
I hope that the watering issues are sorted in due course Sue. Having to water in the afternoon isn’t ideal for you or the plants in hot weather. I too prefer to use a watering can – hosepipes waste a lot of water. Hope that you get a dry and cool day soon to get on with some planting 🤞
It seems someone is now actively investigating the water issue, Anna.
Wow ! You are quite an amazing cook ! 😄🌿This drought is not good for the wildlife too , I’m putting out water for them and refreshing the bird bath water .🦔🦔🐝🐞
It’s a case of having a ready supply of recipes Debbie. We keep bird baths topped up too and the birds also drink from our pond.
The Thorp Perrow Estate looks beautiful and walking among the shade of the trees on these super-hot days sounds ideal. We’ll done Martyn for getting that plot dug!
Martyn has now posted his video of TTHorp Perrow here, https://ossettweather.com/gardening2022/july-2025-video/ Belinda
I can’t imagine having to spend that much time watering. It makes me tired just thinking about it!
It’sjust so boring, Dave