UK Heatwaves Impact Wildlife and Gardeners

The UK's summer of heatwaves and dry weather has brought challenges to growers and wildlife. Despite recent rain, drought remains widespread, and experts warn it will take weeks of sustained rainfall for water supplies to recover.

## Effects on Gardeners Gardeners across England are adapting to the new climate. John Peel, a grower from Oxfordshire, says this has been the most difficult season yet, with a late frost destroying his apples and soft fruit, and months of heat and drought leaving his allotment scorched. He has also struggled with flea beetles, which have decimated his brassicas.

Nicola Scott, a grower from Manchester, says this year has been particularly hard, with repeated heatwaves and prolonged dry weather. She has had to contend with salad leaves bolting or becoming scorched, and her early potatoes struggling even with regular watering. Scott is now considering giving more space to chillies and aubergines and experimenting with growing sweet potatoes in her greenhouse.

## Wildlife Struggles The prolonged heat and drought has left wildlife struggling to find food and water. Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the RHS, says this could be driving animals towards allotment crops. Badgers, which feed heavily on earthworms, may struggle to dig into baked-hard soil and instead eat carrots and potatoes.

## Adapting to the New Climate Some gardeners have found successes in the heat. Emma, a grower from Bristol, has successfully grown watermelons and cantaloupes, and her sweet potatoes are the biggest she has grown in five years. Christian Doyle, a grower from Sussex, believes the shade from a huge goat willow on her allotment has helped her vegetables thrive. She has harvested onions, garlic, potatoes, and beans, and is particularly proud of her dwarf French beans and tomatoes.

The changing conditions may alter what gardeners plant in future. Emma says it might put her off growing some of the more traditional things, while Doyle plans to use more mulch and tall plants to shelter vegetables as summers become hotter. The use of organic matter, such as compost and manure, can help retain precious moisture, and mulching and adding organic matter can reduce the amount of water the bed needs.