Growing your own vegetables is one of the most rewarding parts of gardening. With careful planning and regular sowing, you can enjoy fresh produce year-round. But periods of prolonged heat and drought can quickly undo weeks – or even months – of hard work.
Most vegetables are made up largely of water, often accounting for more than 90 per cent of their total weight. As a result, they're particularly vulnerable to heat stress, drying out rapidly in hot weather and producing smaller, poorer-quality harvests.
While root crops, such as carrots, beetroot and parsnips, are relatively drought-tolerant, others struggle much more in hot, dry conditions. Leafy greens, salad, peas, runner beans and sweetcorn are among the crops most likely to suffer.
That said, all vegetables benefit from extra care during a heatwave. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shares three simple tips to help protect your harvest during the hottest part of the growing season.
1. Keep weeds under control
Weeds compete with vegetables for water and nutrients, so it's important to keep them in check – especially during dry spells.
The RHS recommends using non-chemical methods to avoid disturbing nearby crops. For widely spaced vegetables such as tomatoes and courgettes, applying an organic mulch, such as mushroom compost, will help suppress weeds while locking moisture into the soil.
You can also hand-pull weeds, although this should be done carefully to avoid disturbing soil as little as possible.
'Any soil disturbance will lead to moisture loss, but weed control by very shallow hoeing s usually acceptable,' the RHS says.
2. Give crops shelter
Protecting vegetables from the heat is all about keeping moisture locked in, so it's vital to shelter them not just from the sun but also drying winds.
'Shelter from winds will help slow loss of moisture from crops,' the RHS advises. 'Insect-proof mesh to cover carrots and parsnips to exclude carrot fly and brassicas to keep off cabbage root fly and caterpillars will reduce airflow over plants and thus conserve moisture.'
For warmth-loving crops such as courgettes, fleece can provide additional protection by trapping warmth while also helping the soil conserve moisture.
3. Plan ahead
The best defence against summer heat starts before temperatures rise. Planning your planting schedule so crops have time to establish strong root systems before hot, dry weather arrives can make them far more resilient.
'Established permanent crops are less susceptible to drought,' says the RHS.
A little preparation goes a long way, and by combining good planning with careful watering, mulching and protection from wind, your vegetable patch will be better equipped to cope when the next heatwave arrives.
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