| Water is arguably our most precious resource. | | | | kinds are safer) or newspaper. This also |
| All living things need water to survive. But | | | | prevents soil erosion. |
| we don't just want our productive organic | | | | |
| food gardens to survive, we want them to | | | | 3. Use drip irrigation - preferably under the |
| thrive! And a growing plant uses a lot more | | | | mulch or soil surface. There are purpose made |
| water than one that is just surviving. Every | | | | recycled hoses available now that are perfect |
| part of the plant growing process uses water. | | | | for the job. You can save up to 90% by using |
| | | | drip irrigation rather than a sprinkler. |
| When plants start to become dehydrated they | | | | |
| stop photosynthesising, close their stomata, | | | | 4. Only water when it is needed and as much |
| stop taking in nutrients and stop growing. It | | | | as is needed. If you're not sure, try the |
| can take a few days for some plants to | | | | finger test. Yes - poke your finger into the |
| recover even if there has been no tissue | | | | soil to see if it is moist or dry. Make sure |
| damage. So it is vitally important not to let | | | | the water penetrates as deep as the roots, |
| your plants become dehydrated (just like | | | | but it's a waste to water any deeper than |
| yourself). | | | | that. |
| | | | |
| Not enough water can kill or stunt your | | | | 5. If you live where summers are really hot, |
| plants. Sometimes mild water stress can be a | | | | plant crops under partial shade. It could be |
| good thing, as it encourages plants to send | | | | shade from a pergola or tall plants such as |
| their roots down deeper into the soil, making | | | | sweet corn. |
| them more drought tolerant. The aim is to use | | | | |
| as little water as possible without causing | | | | These are simple methods to reduce your water |
| stress. | | | | consumption. You could also consider |
| | | | collecting your own water. If we all had |
| Ways to use less water | | | | rain-water tanks attached to our houses it |
| | | | would not only give us clean, free water, but |
| 1. Create soils that are made up of humus and | | | | would reduce the amount of water that ends up |
| organic matter. These soils can hold lots of | | | | in our storm water drains. It is also much |
| water and plants can easily draw it up. It | | | | better for food gardens as mains water is |
| has great water-holding capacity as well as | | | | often high in salts, chlorine and fluoride. |
| having a high nutrient content. | | | | |
| | | | Re-use of "grey" water is also another way to |
| 2. Mulch the soil surface. This reduces | | | | reduce how much water we consume. It can be |
| evaporation, keeping the underlying soil | | | | used on lawns and other plants in the garden |
| moist for longer. Any mulch is better than no | | | | that are not for food production. |
| mulch, even if it's underfelt (the older | | | | |