Watering......

[chadspad]

How often do you all water your veg patches? I have heard that its not good to water during the heat of the day, is this true? I only water them in the evening but I keep reading how people are spending so much time water every day.

[Millymollymandy]

I water in the evening, but tend to say (and write) every day. The only thing I water during the day are my tomatoes in pots and my oleanders, because when it is hot they need tons of water!

The only stuff I water every day (evening ) are the things I've just sown and seedlings until I think they've got roots long enough to cope. Then they get watered every couple of days and after that it depends on the individual plants, the heat, how sunny it is etc.

I could leave long rooted things like carrots for several days without water but then the ground turns to concrete. It is like major excavation work just to get at a young carrot, let alone a foot long parsnip!!

[chadspad]

Hi M3,

Our earth is like that too. It turns to fine dust on the top but then concrete underneath. In places there a cracks running along the ground which looks like an earthquake! Most of the veg is looking so sorry for itself by the end of the day, I dont dare not water them! The green beans start to wilt along with the courgettes and the toms.
Does your water come from your lake?

[Millymollymandy]

I have that layer of fine dust on the top too! It dries out really quickly.

I don't usually take water from the lake because the level drops so rapidly. After the torrential rain we had a couple of weeks ago which filled it up again, the surface of the lake went all green and foamy which I think is from all the fertiliser, chemicals and god knows what that Farmer Giles put on his fields. It is thankfully just about gone now. So, I could pump some water from the lake now - but - do I want to put it on my veg?

Anyway, we have loads of water butts and a couple of those 1000 litre water tanks - although they don't last that long in this weather!!

I also have invested in seep hoses - they aren't cheap (about €30 or €40) but they are a godsend for watering things like spuds and onions - where you can't keep walking up and down the rows. It also uses less water than a regular hosepipe and really seems to sink in where it is needed.

As this is now my 2nd year with this veg patch, as I managed to get a fair amount of horse manure onto some parts of it last winter I can really see the difference in the water rentention.

Give me about 5 years and 10 more tons of horse poo and it should be good soil!

[chadspad]

This is our 2nd year too and yes, there is a difference but theres still a serious amount of poo needed!! We have a cow farmer next door so gonna tap him up for some muck for over winter and see if that helps any. We dont tend to grow veg over winter as nothing has been any good - cauli and brocolli bolt and go mouldy, sprouts are not tight and full of bugs, my swede and parsnips havent grown this year even after trying 2 different packets of seeds! Our potatoes are all eaten by mole crickets so we havent bothered this year. Im so envious of the farmer across the way, his earth is so soft and dark brown it makes me sick lol!

We have water butts but theyre all empty now . We di managed to save some into bottles so we have that for emergencies if the pond and source dry up again - so far so good tho, its not nearly as low as it was this time last year.
Didnt think the French farmers went in for chemicals on crops - they dont seem to here, the ones Ive spoken to anyway.
We have some of those seep hoses too, they are excellent arent they.

[Selby]

All the shower water goes onto the soft fruit (into the ground below them, actually).
All the washing-up water goes into the half-barrel with the fig (and the tomato plants Margaret has co-planted).
Any that's left goes over newly sown veg seed.

While the South-East of England has hosepipe restrictions I'm too embarrassed to put potable water on the garden.

When I feel strong I'll carry cans of water from the river.

[chadspad]

OK silly question of the day......
How do u collect the shower water - Im imagining a large bucket in the bottom of the bath and the washing up water, is it take out of the basin cup by cup?
I cant remember how the UK drainage system goes - not like ive been away that long either

[Chickpea]

I was wondering that, too. I guess you'd have to divert your water outlet pipe somehow.

[Shirley]

You can divert your grey water yes.... and this is something we desperately need to look into. Any advice gratefully received. All of our drainage is at ground level - the shower is a wetroom and the drain is under the floor... I imagine that if your shower is over a bath it's easier because you could rig up some kind of hose out of the window and syphon it out.

We are not in the south east but yet our water levels (private supply) are very low. Showers are restricted to 2 minutes... or less... literally run in and wash and rinse. As I type I realise we could save more by turning shower off after we are wet and then using soap and shampoo and then turning shower on again to rinse.

Youngest son takes a bath - he hates shower... but it's only shallow and we catch the water from that to water the veggies...

[chadspad]

So it wasnt such a silly question then
Thinking about it, there is a device in the shops here that is a sort of off-pipe and the picture shows it with guttering - maybe thats whats used to redirect the water?

[the.fee.fairy]

i get home from work at about half past midnight, so i water my garden and greenhouse then...it gives the plants plenty of time to soak up as much water as possible before it starts evaporating.

[chadspad]

Dont water chillis at night, apparently they dont like sitting with cold roots - tip from gardeners world there!

[Millymollymandy]

I realise we could save more by turning shower off after we are wet and then using soap and shampoo and then turning shower on again to rinse.

That's what we do. I would never leave it running. However, with the UK type power showers I was using when I was there on hols, it was easier to leave them running all the time I was in the shower, as it took too long to run to the right temperature after turning it off then on again.

Our French ones are brill - no electric needed as we have loads of water pressure, and no getting freezing cold or scalded when you turn it back on again!

[The Chili Monster]

Dont water chillis at night, apparently they dont like sitting with cold roots - tip from gardeners world there!

I saw that edition ... sorry, I beg to differ. I water my chilli plants every night at dusk and I get an excellent crop each year. The trick is not to completely drown them; moist throughout not soggy.

[Wombat]

We just have a bucket in the shower!

Sounds like you need LOTS of organic matter Chadspad.

Nev