The welcome rain has given us all a much-needed soaking and helped rescue GINA PARKINSON’s parched veg patch.

WHAT a welcome sight was the rain we had last Sunday and again later in the week: hours of heavy but steady water soaked the parched earth. Even in our sandy soil, the moisture penetrated some way down and will provide moisture for thirsty roots.

Much of my allotted gardening time has been spent in the vegetable garden and last weekend saw the final push to get the remaining plants out. The cabbages and purple-sprouting broccoli have a small area to themselves, so they could be protected from the pigeons with netting.

We have two varieties of cabbage, ‘Hispi’ and ‘Savoy’; the former is an early maturing type that will be ready to harvest later in the summer, the latter a winter vegetable ready to pick between November and March.

The purple-sprouting is a spring vegetable. The small plants put into the garden from March to June are left to grow throughout autumn and winter for picking the following March and April.

Runner and French beans were mostly planted a couple of weeks ago, but a few were left in their pots when I ran out of canes. This has now been remedied and the final plants are in situ and can begin to twist up their supports.

It is interesting to see that despite being sown at the same time, individual plants are much quicker at getting themselves up their canes.

Generally the runner beans are further ahead, with one or two plants 18 inches or so high already, while the French beans are still hanging about at ground level, unwilling to make a move skywards.

Self-blanching celery has joined a row of celeriac in a bed enriched with well-rotted garden compost. This bed is also planted with spinach, carrots and young rhubarb, the latter being small plants that will eventually fill a good part of this area.

Like many new specimens this year, they have struggled in the dry, windy weather and have only just begun to bulk up. Because of this we haven’t picked any of the stems, choosing to leave them to allow the roots to establish and develop. There is always next year.

Weekend catch-up

THERE is still time to mulch around plants struggling in the dry weather and an hour or so spent in the garden after heavy rain is the ideal time.

The soil will be soaked and easy to loosen and the mulch will hold that moisture in.

Choose newly planted specimens or plants that are particularly struggling, loosen the surface of the soil around them and simply cover it in a thick layer of well-rotted garden compost.

This can also be done in the vegetable garden. We have two areas that have really suffered this spring because we didn’t add anything to the sandy soil.

Consequently the poor broad beans, peas, beetroot, onions and garlic have struggled to put on much growth and I suspect the onions and garlic will crop poorly.

The other plants can be saved and are already looking better with the rain and their coat of compost, and even if the onions are poor this year any compost added now will benefit whatever is planted in that spot next year.

Open gardens

Sunday, June 19

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Birstwith Hall, High Birstwith, near Harrogate, HG3 2JW. Eight-acre Yorkshire dale garden with a formal garden and ornamental orchard, extensive lawns, stream, large pond and Victorian greenhouse. Open 2pm to 5pm, admission £3.50.

Havoc Hall, Oswaldkirk, YO62 5XY. Garden divided into knot, herbaceous, courtyard, shrub and flower gardens and a vegetable area and orchard; also a woodland walk, lawn and wildflower meadow. Open 1pm to 5.30pm, admission £3.

Jackson’s Wold, Sherburn, jacksonswoldgarden.com Two-acre garden with views of the Vale of Pickering. The walled garden has mixed borders and old roses and woodland paths lead to more shrubs and perennial borders. There is also a lime avenue and traditional vegetable garden. Open 1pm to 6pm, admission £3.

Linden Lodge, Newbridge Lane, near Wilberfoss, YO41 5RB. One-acre garden with lavender and box-edged gravel paths leading to mixed borders, a wildlife pond and summerhouse. There is also a kitchen garden, orchard, woodland area, pond and five-acre meadow. Open 11am to 5pm, admission £4. Garden also be open today 11am to 5pm. Craft stall, plant sales and refreshment marquee available both days.

Stillingfleet Lodge, Stewart Lane, Stillingfleet, YO19 6HP. stillingfleetlodgenurseries.co.uk Subdivided garden with colour themed areas around the house leading to a wild flower meadow and natural pond, 55yd double herbaceous borders and a new modern rill. There are also rare breed poultry and adjacent plant nursery. Open 1pm to 5pm, admission £4.

Wednesday

Whixley Gardens, Whixley, YO26 5AR. Four village gardens open. Ash Tree House has a sloping garden with an extensive rockery, mature borders, shrubs and roses, The Bay House has a densely planted courtyard, The Old Vicarage has a ¾-acre walled garden with climbers, mixed borders and old brick paths leading to hidden seating areas and Cobble Cottage has a black and white courtyard garden, Japanese garden and decorative architectural plants. Open 1pm to 5pm, combined admission £5.

Friday

Shandy Hall Gardens, The Laurence Sterne Trust, Coxwold, YO61 4AD. Two walled gardens with an acre of unusual perennials interplanted with old roses. A further acre is in an old quarry with tree, shrubs, climbers and wild flowers encouraging wildlife including more than 150 recorded species of moth. Evening opening 6.30pm to 8.30pm, admission £2.50. Find out more at laurencesternetrust.org.uk

Gardening TV and radio

Sunday, June 19

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, 9am, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. This week Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood and Christine Walkden join chairman Eric Robson. Gardening weather is at 2.40pm.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Eric Robson and his team of horticultural experts offer advice in Dumfries and Galloway and Christine Walkden visits Logan Botanic Gardens. (Repeated on Sunday at 2pm).

8pm, ITV1, Love Your Garden. Alan Titchmarsh visits a Swansea garden with cloud hedges and elegant paths.