A Beginner’s Guide: Watering

The idea of what constitutes a good summer varies greatly according to one’s interests, and the average child or beach lover is happy with bright sun every day but gardeners and farmers crave a bit of moderation.

Perfection might be sunshine all day and rain at night but that rarely happens so we usually have to spend some time rescuing our water starved plants at some point through the summer. It is better to water heavily, soaking the soil occasionally rather than giving a light shower which will just encourage the roots to the surface and the water will never get down to where it is needed.

Concentrate on salad crops to keep lettuce and radish etc. crisp and don’t worry so much about crops and plants with deeper roots. If you can catch rainwater in a water butt or large containers, that’s all to the good but don’t be afraid to use washing-up water (we haven’t all got dish washers) and bathwater if it’s not too contaminated by bubble bath and suchlike.

Don’t worry about the lawn - grass really is as tough as old boots and although it might look like the Gobi desert, it will all come back to life after a decent drop of rain. If the theories about global warming and warmer summers are to be believed, perhaps we should consider growing more plants that are happier in drier, more Mediterranean conditions rather than our traditional cottage garden varieties. Many grey or silver- leaved plants are a good example. Think about lavenders, rosemary, cistus, many ornamental grasses, bamboo and herbs.

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