IF you haven’t staked your tall herbaceous plants yet, there’s still time – trust me, this hot spell will end sometime with thunder and heavy rain which will flatten everything that’s not supported – gardener’s too, I fear!

It is such a busy time of year for gardeners. I’m sure, with the help of this dry spell, growth will slow down a bit soon but at the moment everything is growing like Jack’s beanstalk.

I spent last weekend trying to push water up hill – literally – trying to get water from the outside tap by the cottage up to the top of the veggie patch and then through a leaky hose system. It’s not the easiest project I’ve tackled and is another reminder that I must sort out a decent irrigation system over the winter ready for next year.

These dry spells are a nightmare for gardeners and are definitely getting more frequent – if it goes on for much longer, I will be turning watering into ‘whine’.

Ian at Abergavenny Garden Centre said they have had a very busy few weeks as people are buying young veg plants after germination of their own seeds has failed. I was buying ‘filling in’ runner beans for a client who only had a 30 percent success rate from a packet of seeds.

It’s still the best way to gamble though – with a trowel and a packet of seeds! Please ensure you have water out in the garden for wildlife. The bees (and butterflies) need shallow water, as they can’t drink from deep water.

Putting stones in a plant drip tray and then filling with water will enable them to stand on the stones to drink – or you can do the same with marbles for a more decorative feature.

Birds will need clean water – to drink and bath in–and of course hedgehogs will need water too. If you have got a pond, make sure there is a way for hedgehogs to get out if they ‘overreach’ whilst drinking from the edge.

This week (June 12 – 16) is Healthy Eating Week, organised by the British Nutrition Foundation. Aiming to connect people, food and science and provide impartial, evidence-based information to people so they can adopt healthy, sustainable diets–for life, not just the week – it’s a great time to review your eating habits.

Because my job is so physically demanding, I am always reading and researching the best ways to stay as healthy, fit and strong as possible.

Nutrition is top of the list. The last book I read was absolutely fascinating and really should be mainstream information.

As the title suggests, ‘Glucose Revolution’ (by French biochemist Jessie Inchauspe) will make you realise how important it is to understand the role of glucose in your body – and not just if you are diabetic.

Glucose spikes are common for most people and can result in a whole host of familiar debilitating symptoms including brain fog, insomnia, mood swings (‘hangry’ sound familiar?) and other more serious issues like arthritis and dementia.

The good news is that there are several ways to reduce these ‘spikes’ and level out your glucose absorption – ‘hacks’, they’re called today, but when I was a kid that was something you did on a horse.