The best times of day to water plants are early morning and evening.

Water the roots with a complete saturation once or twice a week, making the equivalent of a well. Frequent showers result in roots staying at the surface and not growing deep to find water.

Watering during sunny days is ineffective as it evaporates but also, the water can lie on leaves and fruit and result in scorching.

Water butts and grey water are the best. Consider whether you can fit another water butt if levels become low.

Some vegetable plants do not like too much water. These include carrots, potatoes (water when in flower), parsnips, Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, kohlrabi and onions.

Some, however, are notoriously thirsty and these include celery, courgette, marrows pumpkin, squash, spinach and rhubarb.

The more organic matter soil has, the more it retains moisture. So mulch, mulch, mulch with horse manure, green manure, leaf mould and homemade compost. The nutrient value of your soil will rocket and weeds will be suppressed.