Planning for the coming season

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Anton

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Planning for the coming season
« on: January 16, 2019, 19:47 »
I had a fairly dismal time in the allotment last year, owing to the drought. The only water we have is from  a shed roof. Normally, I can get by by ferrying some water there with a handtruck if it is not dry for more than two weeks, say.
I think it went on for two months.
Anyhow, I did manage to salvage some plants by using straw as a much (beetroot, lettuces, surprisingly enough, leafbeet, French beans, New Zealand spinach - the potatoes did well because it rained a lot while and a long time after I planted them).  The water situation is exacerbated by the fact that two of the gardeners have erected some green plastic warehouses to house tomatoes (the one grows 100 plants, and claims only watering them every three weeks - I have my doubts, still) and as soon as a barrel fills up (there were a couple of  days of  rain during the drought) they rush out to water their plants.

Anyhow, grumbling aside, I would like to hear any suggestions you might have about what water-resistant plants I might think about using!

Anton

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DHM

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2019, 21:05 »
My neighbour swore he never watered his spuds once last year, something about the roots finding the groundwater or something.

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andreadon

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2019, 22:19 »
I don't know about drought resustant plants, but if you can harvest as much water this winter as possible that would be a great thing.
Get several barrels and take their tops off to catch rain water, when it snows, gather up the snow and pack it into barrels so when it melts you have more water.

I know it won't see you through the whole summer but it will help quite a bit

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JayG

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2019, 08:31 »
Tuber and some root crops are likely to survive better than annual summer surface crops due to being deeper rooted, at least when established.

Mulching certainly helps conserve soil moisture, but does involve some risk that if subsequent rainfall is modest, it won't be enough to penetrate through the mulch into the soil.
Creating a dust mulch by hoeing the surface doesn't seem to be as effective as once thought, although it does remove weeds which would otherwise compete for water.
Using porous weed control fabric to plant through is another possibility, although not practical for all crop types, and you need to beware of creating a slug haven.

Adding extra water container capacity is well worth considering if you haven't done so already - kits are available which enable you to 'daisy-chain' water butts together.
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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Anton

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2019, 13:50 »
Thanks for all your suggestions.
Collecting more water is not possible. There is one shed, with five barrels hooked up to the roof and four or five others standing next to the shed. They all fill up during the winter. The problem is there are five gardeners (it's not a huge allotment) and two of those, as I said, erected plastic greenhouses, and use quite a lot of water for their tomatoes. They all used to go off on holiday during the hot months (so I get by quite well and maybe had to carry barrels of water down to the garden for a week at the most)  but one Tomato man now gets his children to water his plants while he is away, another couple had a baby so stayed here last summer, and the other one, who normally always goes away for a month, didn't. Plus the other tomato man hardly ever goes away. And then came the drought, as the final straw.

Anton

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DHM

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2019, 16:44 »
I don't think I would be able to work with that kind of arrangement, sounds like you essentially have 2 barrels worth each yet everyone just uses what they want? That seems unfair and selfish to me.

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andreadon

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2019, 16:56 »
I don't think I would be able to work with that kind of arrangement, sounds like you essentially have 2 barrels worth each yet everyone just uses what they want? That seems unfair and selfish to me.

I'm with you on this DHM.
That's a really uneven and unfair arrangement.

But, Anton, you don't need access to the shed roof to harvest your water - put barrels anywhere on your plot and the water will fall into it throughout the winter. The more you have, the more rain you'll collect....
« Last Edit: January 18, 2019, 16:58 by andreadon »

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Pescador

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2019, 18:15 »
Put barrels on your own plot. I have about 12 barrels  each holding some 200 litres. They fill up with the natural rainfall- no roof required!
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Anton

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2019, 18:22 »
Thanks for your ideas.

Anton

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snowdrops

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2019, 18:38 »
Get an Ibc tank & rig up a giant funnel for the top. Lock the tap at the bottom, over the winter & spring  you’ll get 1000 litres just for your use
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Anton

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2019, 18:44 »
Where would I get a giant funnel from?

Anton

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snowdrops

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2019, 18:49 »
You’d have to make it! Lolsome plastic or metal wrapped around & the point in the top whole 😊💦💦

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DHM

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2019, 19:53 »
Hmm those tanks have quite a big footprint and the OP said he didnt have a lot of space. However this would work if he got one>>>

https://goo.gl/images/h2Gwu1

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snowdrops

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2019, 21:13 »
Hmm those tanks have quite a big footprint and the OP said he didnt have a lot of space. However this would work if he got one>>>

https://goo.gl/images/h2Gwu1

Yes that’s a good one as long as it doesn’t blow away. Ibc tanks are 1 metre cubed so not much bigger that a barrel

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Anton

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Re: Planning for the coming season
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2019, 10:26 »
Thanks.

Anton



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