Remember that deep watering less often is far better than a sprinkle every day as it will encourage the roots to travel deeper into the soil, rather than staying near the surface and so more tolerant of hot and dry times.

Aim to keep maturing fruit such as tomatoes, evenly moist to prevent them from splitting.

Summer fruits such as apple, pear, stone fruits, quince and fig have immature fruit at this time of year, so make sure they're getting enough water. Being too dry for too long can cause early fruit drop, dry fruit and split fruit.

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In the heat of summer, mature fruit trees need a good soaking about every 10-14 days if there hasn't been significant rain. Water around the drip zone, which is around the outer edge of the canopy. Consider installing a drip irrigation system so you can get water to the root slowly and efficiently. A 5-10 cm layer of mulch on the surface will help preserve soil moisture and reduce weed competition.

Heavy crops on fruit trees are best thinned to improve the air flow to reduce fungal disease, so there is less risk of the branches breaking under the weight, and so they produce fewer but larger fruit.

Remove suckers at the base of fruit trees by ripping them off or pruning them flush with the collar.

Apply liquid potash to all fruit trees. This improves sap flow and will help strengthen plant tissue against disease.

Cucumber, melon, pumpkin, squash, zucchini and gourd are all susceptible to mildew in hot, humid weather. Keep plants regularly watered, water in the morning before the heat of the day and try not to wet the leaves.

If leaves become infected, remove the worst affected leaves straight away.

At flowering stage, spraying with one-part full cream milk to 10 parts water will slow down any mildew that has started. Repeat about every 10 to 14 days and after heavy rain.

Keep your crops growing well with regular soluble feeds but don't add extra fertiliser to carrots and parsnips, as that might encourage forking of the roots.