watering wisely

[KG Steve]

Hi Folks
Seems like a strange topic during a time of record rains, but our Over The Garden Fence feature for July is watering! (That's what happens when you plan a year ahead!) However, I'm (relatively) sure we will get some sunshine later and that watering will once again become an issue - after all we still have a hosepipe ban in our area.

So the question for this month is "Watering – should we do it or do you get deeper roots/better crops without?"

It looks like we will need to change our attitudes to water use and not just in the garden - in the UK we have been so used to turning on the tap and having water on demand and using drinking water for everything from watering plants to flushing the loo, that we take it for granted. But we may be forced to look at ways to conserve water or to use 'grey' water on our fruit and veg in the future.

We've all seen those people on allotments lucky enough to have a good supply, sticking on a sprinkler and going off to lunch to leave their plots to soak - but apart from being selfish to others who want to use the facilities are they doing more harm than good? When do crops really need watering and which are more drought tolerant?

As always we would be very grateful for your views and will print as many as we can in the July issue.

[alan refail]

I imagine that responses will vary depending on whether people live in the drier south and east or the wetter north and west. Living in north-west Wales (the wetter latter), I never water outside at all except containers and occasionally if new plant-outs need establishing in a rare dry spell. Apart from that everything takes its chance and puts roots well down. Water conservation and the use of grey water are not major concerns here.

[Jude]

I rely heavily on the advice in Joy Larcom's excellent book 'Grow Your Own Vegetables'. Pages79/80 'Critical periods for watering'. Very useful.

[ashb]

dont have to get the hose out up here we get plenty of rain
and as i type it is nissing it down
ash

[Jude]

Where is Newtyle Ash? Please excuse my higgorance!

[ashb]

Hi Jude, newtyle is near blairgowrie inbetween dundee
and perth on the east side of scotland hope that helps
. i am originally from wakefield in yorkshire
but have been living up here for 18/19 yrs now
ash.

[Jude]

Ash, oops, should've known, had holiday up that way only last year!

[Nature's Babe]

I am in one of the driest areas the south east coast and yes I do water pots in the greenhouse and seedbeds with a watering can from saved rainwater, otherwise I mulch well after rain and plant through the mulch, they do fine with the moisture in the ground. I do encourage a natural balance, plenty of compost to hold the moisture in the soil, and a full range of soil organisms including mychorrhizal fungi which colonise plant roots symbiotically, greatly improving the plants access to both water and nutrients. It works for me, and what was intractable hard clay is now a rich and workable soil. We had a very dry winter and started spring officially in drought with a hosepipe ban, but under the mulch the soil was still moist for early planting. Recently the rain has been persistent, but I will keep mulching when the weather warms to conserve what has fallen.The mulch also supresses weeds, and any that do find their way through are easily removed from a moist soil dried and added to the mulch.
I do have raised beds and provided I keep adding plenty of organic matter to provide humus it still holds the water well under the mulch and when we get excessive rains it allows the excess water to drain rather than waterlogging roots. In a neighbouring village they complained excess rain had spoiled the asparagus crop, the raised beds saved mine from a similar fate. I am trying to plan for more extreme weather which seems to be becoming the norm.

[Tony Hague]

Like NB, I use rainwater for greenhouse crops, and rarely - maybe two or three times in a dry year - water outdoor crops with a hose. I also live in the parched east of England, but I do have a heavy clay allotment which holds water well and I don't use raised beds, which encourage water to drain away.

My main point though, was to mention hoeing. Not only is it good for weed control, but loosening the top 2cm of soil breaks the hydraulic coupling to the lower soil, providing a "dust mulch" which slows evaporation. And it also controls weeds , which otherwise consume water too.

[Primrose]

Our soil here is very dry and stoney (Thames Valley gravel) so however thickly I mulch, it still dries out fairly quickly.

This year because of the hosepipe ban I'm planting out all my climbing beans & tomatoes extra deep and mixing in some water gel crystals at the bottom of each individual planting hole. I'm hoping this will preserve moisture around the roots where it is really needed. My patio containers have all had these crystal mixed into their compost as well and grass clippings will also be saved for mulch, rather than being put on the compost heap as normal.

Before the heavy rains started when I dug out the last of our parsnips I found that even ten inches down, the soil was very dry, which illustrates the depth of the problem around here. We have two old buckets outside out kitchen door to collect grey water, and four water butts (which at the moment are all now full).

[Westi]

We haven't a hosepipe ban and I do use the hose sometimes but really prefer to use the watering can. Besides the fact you can target the roots of the plant and use a smaller amount of water I actually find it therapeutic trudging to the butt and back with the cans - having a wee chat with others plot holders on the way comparing notes etc.

Using the hose usually winds me up as there is only one tap for about 20 plots (which now means double the users as they cut the plot sizes) and I can hand water and be finished before my turn would even come up for the hose.

My soil is sandy but I have improved it loads with compost and I also mulch everything so water maybe twice a week if it is very hot and sunny. I set up a drippa bag and those drippa ends that go on bottles for the greedy or precious plants but most of the crops just get on with it. The other thing I have done is make a channel around each bed so any run off is captured; I haven't a clue if it is correct but I like to think the roots will travel sideways to get the extra moisture that is trapped in these channels.

Westi

[Nature's Babe]

Another tip to slow the addition of water is an upturned large plastic water bottle with the base cut off, sink neck end next to the plant, fill with one third horticultural sand and the water will filter through the sand to the plant very slowly..