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+--- Thread: Watering (/showthread.php?tid=1116)
RE: Watering in drought situations - Vinny - 28-05-2020
This is one advantage of the no dig system. On normal soil I just keep the hoe going and this forms a 'dust mulch' The soil at 2 inches deep stays damp.
I have an area on the plot covered with cardboard (I have noticed the local Aldi have started leaving cardboard by the exit for 'craft purposes')
and then the cardboard is held down with anything organic ie compost from dalek,grass cuttings and weeds I have pulled out from other areas. I must admit it is not a thing of beauty but I planted out three courgettes today through it.
On digging a small hole for each plant I was surprised how wet the soil was underneath and full of worms. I planted the courgettes, watered them in and that will be all the water they get or need methinks.. Once the butternuts are also planted in this area the leaves will cover the area anyway. 
RE: Watering in drought situations - Stem20 - 29-05-2020
Ok I have planted out so much in the last 2 weeks I have emptied all 10 of my water buts and for the last 3 days have been taking 2 20l containers and 1 10l container to the allotment and using it all just to keep things alive, getting desperate and will probably have to sacrifice some things. I have put some small containers with a small hole in by all the squash to concentrate the water and have ordered a couple of dozen spikes that fit on old plastic drinks bottles to make the watering more efficient, hopefully that will help. Using one of the 2 spare plots for these.
RE: Watering in drought situations - Bren - 29-05-2020
Stem I picked up some of those bottle spikes from the charity shop last summer can’t get them to work right they either empty all at once or never empty.
RE: Watering in drought situations - Jimny14 - 29-05-2020
I'm not on metered water and have a few hundred litres of butt water capacity (I plan on increasing this substantially soon as rain water is better than tap). I try to use rain water for things like citrus (we have a lemon tree outside in summer, orangery in winter) and a few other plants who prefer rain water to tap.
Those in pots at the moment are getting watered every other day (fairly big pots) anything that looks wilty gets more regular, veg plot is getting a good dose 1x weekly unless the beans start to look in need, potato sacks are getting some every other day, veg tug with salads in getting every other day.
The apple tree planted this last winter is getting every other day good soak as is looking a bit fragile and I don't want to lose it.
Everything else, ie ornamental beds, fruit bushes and established trees are being left to their own devices. All my soft fruit is coming on and we've not had any rain for weeks either.
RE: Watering in drought situations - JJB - 29-05-2020
My veg patches are part of our garden so hose water is reality available, I also have 12 water butts, some storage, some collectors of rain. They are all getting depleted rather rapidly. I'm watering all newly planted stuff (beans, sweetcorn), strawberries that are plumping and ripening. I'm keeping the baby carrots damp with a view to thinning out which I've not got around to, along with the kale and rapini. I also thought the oniony things didn't need water but they were all going brown at the tips and looking very sad so , hey ho, they get watered. Basically the only things that don't get watered are broad beans and the chard which will get dug up soon. All very tedious but it would be a shame to lose the plants.
Stem20 - Stem20 - 29-05-2020
(29-05-2020, 12:29 PM)Bren Wrote: Stem I picked up some of those bottle spikes from the charity shop last summer can’t get them to work right they either empty all at once or never empty.Thanks for the heads up. Already ordered so will give them a go, not too bothered if they empty straight away just trying to concentrate the water rather than it spreading.
RE: Watering in drought situations - Baldy - 29-05-2020
Watering everything in my polyhousegreetunnel - couple of the chillies have dried out 2 or 3 times now so will be hotter than usual (if I don't kill em off) - have thrown some additional sunshading netting over the top of it so the plants are doing a little better now.
Outside I'm watering toms and onions - have potatoes in bags and pots so they need some too. Most everything else is left to it. I'm mostly no-dig so there is a bit of water retention going on anyway under the mulch (and slugs and snails but hey ho)
RE: Watering in drought situations - SarrissUK - 29-05-2020
I'm not on metered water, and I absolutely won't be for as long as I don't have to
I water more at home, than on the plot. Like Vinny says, no dig means less watering
RE: Watering in drought situations - JJB - 30-05-2020
No dig might be the bees knees, but I can't get enough mulch and it looks so untidy my OH would have a fit. Plus he enjoys digging!
Maybe one day I'll try it on a small scale.
RE: Watering in drought situations - Baldy - 31-05-2020
We've got a water-thief on our plot apparently... I bought a wildlife camera over Xmas - think I'll take it up to the plot to see what I can capture...