Apparently June 2017 was the equal fifth hottest June on record since 1910. From the middle of the month, temperatures soared here in East Anglia. The prolonged sunny, dry spell meant that in order to keep plants and vegetables growing healthily under the duress of the baking sun, watering had to be done sometimes twice a day in the early morning or late evening.
Of course, it’s worth the effort; thirsty, dehydrated plants will not only fail to thrive, but are more vulnerable to diseases and pest attacks. But as I don’t have any automatic watering systems in place, watering up to twice daily took a lot of time. Sure, it was sometimes a chance to take some quiet time for reflection after a busy day, but it was also another job to do on a long list at the end of the day.
The concerted effort to water morning and night has paid off (I’ve been enjoying a good, solid crop of beans, carrots, onions, shallots and garlic so far this summer), but it’s made me ponder just how integral the “simple” task of watering is to a successful yield. In years gone by, I’ve totally failed to keep up with watering during hot, dry spells, and I’ve seen the impact even one or two missed days have on overall plant vitality.
I’ve also worked in the gardens of a modest but beautiful manor house, where water is drawn from a cavernous underground well, and an irrigation system is integral to the upkeep of the gardens, polytunnels and kitchen garden. Their gardens flourish all year round, and watering is restricted to a few containers and pots around the property. They can also go away on holiday, safe in the knowledge that their automatic watering systems will take care of the extensive borders and kitchen gardens. I’m envious. At the moment, I don’t always have the luxury of spending time watering when it’s needed; and here in the sandy-soiled corner of Bedfordshire, a day without watering in high summer can do serious damage to plants.
It was actually quite astonishing to see how quickly my soil turned almost arid, and the plants suffered. Only the established strawberries and marigolds seemed to fair well in the high temperatures; everything else positively wilted and looked jaded after a sun-soaked afternoon.
Whilst mulching has helped to tackle the sandy soil situation, I need to think harder about the watering aspect. It seems that I live in an area that appears to be “boom or bust” when it comes to rainfall. We can have long, dry winters followed by patchy spring showers and crisp, hot summers, but we also experience significant downpours. Thankfully, it never floods. From a sustainability point of view, rainfall capture is important and helpful – that’s placing water butts near any hard surfaces where rain runoff can happen (eg house/shed/greenhouse roofs). But due to time constraints or chronic back problems, I sometimes can’t cart watering cans back and forth all day from around the house to the wider garden. So for me, a long-term solution could be an irrigation system – especially in the polytunnel that I’m hoping to construct by the end of the year.
Some quick, cursive research reveals that deep irrigation systems tend to be the most effective in terms of water use efficiency and plant health. Drip automatic watering systems are also an option, and more suited to milder climes where rapid evaporation isn’t such an issue. For container gardens, automatic kits can save time and water usage for between 20-30 separate containers. Then there are globe spikes for smaller pots that aren’t suited to being hooked up to a system, too. These can look decorative and can often hold a few days’ worth of water before needing to be replenished – great if you’re planning a long weekend away or need a break from daily watering duties!
Of course, I write this just days after a deluge of rain and thunderstorms. But that’s not to say that in a fortnight here in East Anglia we’ll be back to the dry, arid conditions that we experienced in June and the first part of July. In summer, the soil drains and dries so fast that it’s easy to underestimate just how much watering needs to be done if it doesn’t rain for a few consecutive days. You cannot take your eye off the ball, so to speak.
If you’re thinking about an automatic watering systems for your garden, this is a useful link for viable options: https://www.easywatering.co.uk/best-systems-garden
This is a sponsored post.
