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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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How very interesting! So much "weather" in one month. I am still awaiting, not eagerly, our hottest and most humid weather which generally occurs last two weeks in August and first week of September. I hated going back to school then because the classrooms were so hot. No AC. Much better to start school mid September. Thankfully no more of that. I enjoyed this report about your crazy July.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't all that keen on going back to school at the end of August either but it didn't have anything to do with the weather. We are already on the cool down from summer as June and July normally produce our hottest days. I've noticed some of the weather model runs are suggesting some more warm weather at the end of August but far too much in advance to take them too seriously. We're still forecast to get more thunderstorms and torrential downpours which are causing some problems. One railway line blocked with a landslip and one village evacuated as a precaution in case of a dam failure!
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