View from the Rear Window - July 2024 ~ Crafty Cabbage

July - named after the Roman General Julius Caesar, it was the first month to be named after a real person instead of a Roman or Greek God.

This garden photo was taken on the 5th July. Everything is lush and green. The roses are blooming and I can see the purple Salvia flowers at the end of the garden path.

Photo 1: Back Garden on 5th July 2024

The daily garden photos of the back garden are collated in Video 1.

Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden - July 2024

It was someone's birthday in July so the gazebo was up for the frequent parties and does rather spoil the view. There are a few gaps in record due to away days and days away; e.g. Virginia Water, Arthur's Stone, the Royal Welsh Show, Symonds Yat.

Photo 2: Mary at Arthur's Stone (July 2024)

Photo 3: Symonds Yat (July 2024)

July was a disappointing month weather-wise. Cool, cloudy with a fair bit of rain. Weather stats for our Hereford back garden are summarised in the table below:

July 2024
Weather Parameter	Value	Dates
Average Monthly Temperature	17 oC
Maximum Monthly Temperature	32 oC	31st
Minimum Monthly Temperature	9 oC	7th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 28th
Number of Air Frost Days	0
Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)	9
Monthly Precipitation	36.6 mm
Greatest 24 h Precipitation	12.0 mm	8th - 9th
Number of Dry Days	16
Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)	191
Highest Wind Speed	34 km/h	3rd & 6th
Heating Degree Days	73.4
Cooling Degree Days	45.6

Daily maximum and minimum temperatures for July 2024 are shown in Figure 1. Temperatures were below average for the first two weeks but picked up a little for the remainder of the month.

Figure 1: Min/Max Daily Temperatures for July 2024

Daily rainfall and sunshine hours (measured as solar radiation) for July 2024 are shown in Figure 2. Most of the rain fell in the cooler first two weeks of the month. Temperatures picked up for the last two weeks of July (see Figure 1), but it was cloudy rather than sunny.

Figure 2: Rainfall & Sunshine for July 2024

I have been monitoring the weather parameters in my rear garden with the Davis Weather Station for over five years now. This is too short for studying changes in the climate but it is still interesting to look for trends in the data. July is typically the warmest month of the year in the UK but, in three of the last five years, it has disappointed. We are experiencing higher temperature maxima (above 30 ℃ except for 2023) as a rule (see Figure 3) ...

Figure 3: Temperature Data for July 2020 - 2024

... but this is not accompanied by clear skies and bright sunshine (Figure 4). Rainfall is somewhat variable so those cloudy skies do not always lead to precipitation.

Figure 4: Rain, Wind & Sunshine Trends for July (2020 - 2024)

The following three figures are taken from the UK Met Office's Monthly Report for July 2024. Herefordshire is identified on each map with the city of Hereford in the centre of the county. Temperatures for the whole of the UK were below average especially in Scotland and along the West side of the country (where Hereford is located). This pattern was very similar to that seen in the previous month, June.

Figure 5: UK Mean Temperature Anomalies for July 2024

Rainfall in Herefordshire was close to the long-term average (Figure 6). Those parts of the country that had above average rainfall (along the South & East coasts, East Anglia and the South-East of England) also had the best of the warmth (Figure 5). Hereford and Herefordshire were very average!

Figure 6: UK Rainfall (relative) for July 2024

Sunshine was in short supply in July 2024. The Midlands and Southern Britain fared best but it was nothing to write home about. Herefordshire had mixed results and Hereford itself was close to that boundary between normal and sub-normal sunshine hours.

Figure 7: UK Sunshine Hours (relative) for July 2024

Jobs in the Garden

Harvesting cucumbers (x13), courgettes (11 kg), French Beans (1.5 kg), onions (2 kg), calabrese (1.5 kg), beetroot, spinach, chard, tomatoes, celery, raspberries (2.5 kg), blackcurrants (3+ kg), gooseberries (3.4 kg)

Photo 4: Produce from the Kitchen Garden

General maintenance such as tying in the French beans, tomatoes, cucumber, chilli peppers, aubergines, sweet peppers, etc. Topping up the Quadgrow units with nutrients/water.
Composting, there is always composting!

Flora & Fauna (seen in the garden)