Reducing the impact of drought

A glance at the details of February’s weather statistics will serve as a timely reminder that our climate is far less predictable now than was the case even a few years ago. For allotment holders, the single most important commodity is water and although we have taken steps to collect more of this over the winter, it is still worth remembering that there are other means of reducing the impact of drought. Whether they will withstand the kind of summer we had in 2018 is another matter …

Firstly, mulching and careful soil preparation have been shown to be really effective. We have used spent hops as a mulch in the past, but if your load of manure last autumn contained plenty of straw, this would work equally well. By laying a good mulch (a few inches is ideal) on the soil, water is retained and the ground is kept cooler. Grass cuttings, rhubarb leaves and even shredded newspaper or cardboard have all been listed as good ways of producing a mulch. The importance of incorporating organic matter cannot be overstated and the practice of using generous amounts of manure in the autumn is essential on soil of the kind we have.

Secondly, careful planting with an awareness of the availability of shade, is labour-free. By planting suitable crops in the shade of, say, fruit trees or taller crops (Jerusalem artichokes, runner beans, hedging made up of blackberries for example) conditions become less extreme and success can be achieved by some careful forward planning.

Thirdly, knowing how different plants respond to stress enables smart planting. We already know that rocket runs to seed very quickly in hot weather, so a sowing date in autumn can produce a much more effective result. Potatoes need quantities of water, so they will do better in slightly shaded areas during a hot summer. Some crops, thought of as sub-tropical or mediterranean, might tolerate our new climate: chillies and tomatoes were grown very successfully last year so perhaps experiment with such things as cape gooseberries (bizarrely, neither a gooseberry nor African in origin!), tomatillos, melons …

Other ideas would include rigging up an irrigation system and I hope to be able to show one of these in action in the future. The use of fleece and mulch mats or membrane is also worth considering as is finding out how to water. This may seem an obvious point but watering in the midday sun means the water evaporates fast; evening watering is going to be much more effective. Consider also the amount of water you use: it is better to give a good soaking rather than sprinkling water randomly over the surface and tomatoes, for example, respond well to water applied to their roots. To do this, plant some plastic bottles alongside the tomatoes, having previously made some small puncture holes in the plastic. The bottles can then be filled and the water soaks in gradually.