Plot spoilers

Gardening Through a Heatwave 

Has your garden suddenly started looking tired, crispy or downright miserable?

If you're wondering why your tomatoes have stopped growing, your runner beans refuse to set pods or your hanging baskets seem to dry out five minutes after watering, you're certainly not the only one. Across the UK, gardeners are facing some of the toughest growing conditions in recent years.

Across the UK, we’re battling scorching temperatures, dry soil, hosepipe bans and an army of thirsty pests. If you're new to gardening, it can feel especially discouraging, but many of these problems are happening everywhere.

Here's what's been happening in my own garden and those of friends and some of the things I've learned along the way.

With prolonged dry weather, scorching temperatures, water restrictions, and persistent pests, even experienced gardeners are finding it difficult to keep plants looking their best.

Watering Wisely

With water restrictions and hosepipe bans in many parts of the country, every drop counts.

Rather than trying to save every plant equally, I've accepted that some need more help than others. I concentrate on my most vulnerable plants and water deeply in the early morning or late evening when less water is lost through evaporation.

I've even started collecting the cold water that runs from the tap while I'm waiting for hot water to come through. It all goes into a watering can instead of down the drain.

To keep myself organised, I've made a little watering rota.

• Day 1 – Runner beans
• Day 2 – Bay trees in containers
• Day 3 – Cuttings and seedlings
• Day 4 – Runner beans again
• Day 5 – Other patio pots
• Day 6 – Cuttings and seedlings
• Day 7 – Pear tree

It sounds a bit obsessive, but it works! Every plant gets a really good soak at least once a week instead of a quick splash every day.

Why Pots Are Drying Out So Quickly

If your container plants seem impossible to keep watered, you're probably not imagining it.

Many of us now use peat-free compost, which behaves quite differently from traditional compost. One minute the top looks bone dry, while the bottom is still soaking wet. Then, if it dries out completely, the water just runs straight down the sides of the pot instead of soaking into the roots.

If that happens, don't keep pouring more water on.

Instead, stand the whole pot or hanging basket in a bucket of water and leave it to soak for a few hours, or even overnight. It gives the compost time to absorb the moisture again.

Container plants also lose their food much faster because frequent watering washes nutrients out the drainage holes. If your petunias, tomatoes or bedding plants suddenly develop pale leaves or stop flowering, they may simply need a liquid feed.

If the foliage starts yellowing first, then turning soft/brown. This could be overwatering or poor drainage. The roots are sitting in stagnant water and rotting, which suffocates the plant. This is common in clay-soil flower borders or pots without drainage holes.

Giving Plants a Break from the Sun

Not every plant enjoys baking in full sun all day.

I've moved several containers underneath larger shrubs and trees where they're shaded during the hottest part of the day. Grouping pots together also helps create a slightly more humid environment, reducing water loss.

All of my cuttings and seedlings are now sitting together on a large potting tray in the shade. Thankfully most of them are still doing well.

Even a patio umbrella, old bedsheet or garden fleece can provide temporary protection during a heatwave.

Heat Stress Is Real

Many fruits and vegetables are struggling with the high temperatures. Brown, crispy outer edges on foliage.  This is usually underwatering or heat stress. The roots cannot pump water to the furthest edges of the leaf fast enough. It is very common right now on patio containers and greenhouse crops.

My indoor cucumber has been particularly demanding this year. Miss one watering and the leaves flop dramatically. Uneven watering and the cucumbers become misshapen.

Tomatoes, peppers and many other vegetables react in much the same way. The plants may survive, but they often produce fewer fruits or much smaller ones until temperatures become more comfortable.

I've spread composted bark around my borders after watering to help lock moisture into the soil. It certainly helps, although a few plants are still finding the extreme heat difficult.

I've also resisted the temptation to do too much pruning. Removing dead leaves is fine, but heavy pruning during hot weather can put already stressed plants under even more pressure.

Unwelcome Visitors

Sadly, we're not the only ones enjoying the warm weather.

Vine Weevils

These little pests can be particularly heartbreaking. Their grubs quietly munch away at plant roots beneath the soil, so perfectly healthy-looking plants can suddenly collapse without much warning.

Greenhouse Troubles

Greenhouses become tropical during a heatwave.

Red spider mites absolutely love these hot, dry conditions and can quickly damage cucumbers, peppers and aubergines.

Poor airflow during humid spells also encourages diseases like powdery mildew and grey mould, while warm, damp conditions create ideal state for tomato and potato blight.

Dark brown/black spreading blotches on foliage and stems.: This is likely a fungal or bacterial disease (like potato/tomato blight or leaf spot). Sadly, my lovely friend Suburban Sue lost her greenhouse tomatoes this year despite careful watering and plenty of ventilation. Sometimes, even when we do everything right, the weather wins.

The Weeds Are Winning!

Is it just me, or do the weeds always seem to cope better than everything else?

My heavy clay soil has baked hard in the sunshine and the lawn has struggled. Meanwhile, deep-rooted weeds like dandelions are thriving and happily filling every bare patch.

I think my front lawn currently contains more weeds than grass!

Runner Beans... Where Are You?

This seems to be one of the biggest frustrations for many gardeners this year.

Runner beans are incredibly thirsty plants. If the roots dry out while flowers or tiny beans are developing, the plant simply drops them to conserve energy.

A deep watering followed by a thick layer of mulch can really help.

But here's a fun gardening trick...

Have You Tickled Your Beans?

Yes, really!

Runner bean flowers normally rely on bumblebees for pollination. Occasionally, the bees take a shortcut and steal the nectar without properly pollinating the flower. You can lend nature a helping hand by gently brushing the inside of each flower with a small paintbrush.

(Gardeners affectionately call this "tickling the beans” - it really can work!)

Very warm nights (above 15°C–20°C) can also cause the pollen to become sterile, so healthy-looking flowers simply fall off without producing beans. Try misting the foliage and flowers with cool water from a hand spray in the evening to lower temperatures and raise humidity around the blooms.

Don't despair though. As summer moves on and the nights begin to cool, runner beans often recover and suddenly produce a bumper crop.

Finally...

This summer has reminded me that gardening is never completely predictable.

Some years we battle endless rain, while others bring drought, heat and water restrictions. Even experienced gardeners are losing plants, making mistakes and have disappointing harvests.

If your garden isn't looking its best at the moment, don't lose heart. Every season teaches us something new, and even small successes are worth celebrating.

So keep watering wisely, give your plants a little extra care, and remember this. Sometimes simply keeping your plants alive until cooler weather returns is an achievement in itself.