Oakhampton farmer Austin Breiner cannot plant spring vegetable crops until decent rain comes

But instead his patch sits idle, waiting for decent rain to replenish soil moisture levels and give the spring crops a chance.

The crops he did have couldn't hang on and became scorched in the unusual spring heat.

His fruit trees have also taken a big hit.

"The trees have all shed their leaves and their fruit, they've lost everything," he said.

"It's actually quite grim, it's grimmer than most people realise."

Some welcomed deluges have fallen across the Hunter in recent weeks but his farm at Oakhampton has missed out on those larger totals.

It's hard to believe after a wet 2022 left him digging drains for months to try to save his drowning veggies.

"What can you do? I tried to water what I could but I've just given up, I was getting nowhere," he said.

"You get a bit of rain and then we get those westerly winds and hot days and it's all gone, you're just back where you started from."

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Maitland has been in drought, according to state government modelling, since August.

With a dry and hot summer on the radar, Mr Breiner says growing vegetables without irrigation is an almighty gamble.

The farm dam is his sole irrigation source and evaporation rates saw it drop one metre in six months.

If he continues to irrigate out of it the fish that live there will perish.

"We've dropped into drought faster this time," he said.

"Evaporation rates are high. We're not at that 2018 point yet, but I think things could get worse than they are now."