It's areas that normally have loads of rain that tend to run out of water first because they don't normally need to conserve/store it. Not the case in East Anglia where I live but I think I might top up my water butt using the hose - just in case.
It's areas that normally have loads of rain that tend to run out of water first because they don't normally need to conserve/store it. Not the case in East Anglia where I live but I think I might top up my water butt using the hose - just in case.
Can't do that with mine 'cos I use the water in the butts for the blueberries ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
So if i refill my water butts using the hose is that ok?
Actually it could be. The problem in most places is not the amount in storage which is fine, it's the rate at which people are using it. Everyone with a child under 16 seems to have a paddling pool and/or a water slide, everyone with a lawn has a sprinkler. The pipework and pumps aren't big enough to move the water fast enough and the treatment plants aren't capable of supplying the flow rate either.
So if you pop out at 2am and fill your water butt with the hose (or get a timer and a valve), it will be fine, because the demand will have dropped right down. Probably a very sensible way to spread the peak demand, in fact.
One could argue that a one in ten year summer - and so far this really isn't any more extreme than that - ought to be well within the design plan for water companies, but apparently it isn't. There again, I'm no fan of privatisation especially of the water companies but hosepipe bans are not a new thing - they happened when we had a public water supply. Planning restrictions have as much to do with it as shareholder pay outs.
If you all water your veg in the middle of the night, it'll do the veg some good and reduce the strain on the network. Just watch out for the very happy slugs pootling about in the mud
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
It's areas that normally have loads of rain that tend to run out of
water first because they don't normally need to conserve/store it.
The levels in the north of England seem fine, and they have had the most rain. London usually runs out first because storage is lousy, we have an ancient system and have the most (posh) people who use loads. We are also almost entirely on clay which moves constantly, so we have endless cracks and breaks in the pipes.
hi iv'e recently sown a large bed (turnips,beet,radish, salad leaves, ) it seems to dry out as soon as I water it ! could I cover it with polythene or even that cheap weed surppressent to try and keep some of the moisture in the soil anyone got any thoughts pease ? I carn't get to water late at night so any ideas on this will be apreciated ! DD.
Plastic will just concentrate the heat and make matters worse. Here, clear plastic is used to fry the soil and ‘clean’ it of weeds. Black plastic pipes are used for solar water heating. If I forget to empty the hose or leave it lying around the water that comes out is hotter than my taps!
Your best bet is to improve the moisture retention of the beds by mulching with organic matter, anything you can get your hands on and as thick as you can afford. If you can set up a drip or soaker hose system that would help too - you can time it to come on in the evening to reduce evaporation (does that count as using a hosepipe, ban-wise?)
A quick and cheap fix is to push some hoops or canes in and drape in shade netting, again, anything you have to hand - old white net curtains are good.
Salad leaves will struggle to germinate now, it’s too hot. When the plants are a bit bigger they will self- shade with their leaves to a certain extent.
thanks Nollie iv'e got some hessian roll 1mtr wide i'll rig some thing up with that !
I grew up in Africa in drought conditions, so have always watered with 'grey' water but this year have used my bath water as well. I have a problem of using what I see as drinkable water on the flower beds (ingrained when you have had brown sludge like water come out of taps and have had to filter to remove worms and then boil to make safe to drink) but have done so this year in addition to the bath water. It is just so hot, the beds are in the sun all day and leaves were just going crispy. A little soap in the water does not hurt for a while. I just do the up and down stairs with the watering can when it is cool enough!
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This time last year it was over 30C for about 4 days and lots of folk moaned. It proceeded to rain for about 8 months thereafter.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
So if you pop out at 2am and fill your water butt with the hose (or get a timer and a valve), it will be fine, because the demand will have dropped right down. Probably a very sensible way to spread the peak demand, in fact.
One could argue that a one in ten year summer - and so far this really isn't any more extreme than that - ought to be well within the design plan for water companies, but apparently it isn't. There again, I'm no fan of privatisation especially of the water companies but hosepipe bans are not a new thing - they happened when we had a public water supply. Planning restrictions have as much to do with it as shareholder pay outs.
If you all water your veg in the middle of the night, it'll do the veg some good and reduce the strain on the network. Just watch out for the very happy slugs pootling about in the mud
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”