I have been asked to write a monthly article for the Noosa Hinterliving newsletter. It is a great
publication celebrating the food and lifestyle of the local area. If you are a local on the Sunshine Coast, you must have a look at the website and online newsletter - the page is www.hinterliving.com.au - read the online magazine or have a look under the gardening tab on the left.
The subject for this month was water wise gardening. Backyard gardeners are actually being discriminated against in this country during water restricted periods. While it is ok to keep a pool running, you can forget about watering your veggie patch. Here is more of the article with some simple ideas on preserving water...
Everybody knows the importance of
preserving water now. During periods of water restrictions, gardeners are faced
with big challenges – even though households growing their own food should be
rewarded, not restricted. Commercially grown crops use 2.5 times more water to
grow compared to home gardens. Then there are transport and storage impacts to
consider. There should be great incentives for growing your own food, as it
would ultimately save huge amounts of water, pollution and environmental
damage. As this has not yet happened, it’s best to design a water-wise garden
and use practical water saving methods around the home.
Think of as many ways as possible
to design your overall garden for water efficiency. Is all water being captured?
Does it flow to the needy areas? Do you have any areas where storm water flows
or even pools slightly? Garden beds can be better positioned to capture water
during heavy rain like we have had during the last few months. Heavier storms
occurring less frequently are what you have to be ready for. If your garden is
not set up to capture as much water as possible before the rain comes, you may
be waiting a long time for more rain. You can direct water directly to the
roots with PVC pipe dug in around trees. Drip feeders are great in garden
beds-even if they are the cheap above ground type from the supermarket.
Having at least some drought hardy
plants is important. Different varieties will actually grow better with less
water. You will be surprised how much difference it makes just by choosing the
right varieties of plants for your unique climate and conditions. You may also
find some types of plants just adapt much better to the slightly warmer and
dryer climate. This means selecting the more appropriate vegetables, trees and
herbs or at least researching and trying some new ones. Look through some
heirloom seed catalogues for new varieties of your favourite plants. Eden seeds
are a great local supplier of heirloom vegetable and herb seed though they are
others options such as seed savers in Byron Bay.
The best water saving advice is to
mulch heavily. Organic sugar cane or straw mulch in and around all garden beds
is necessary. This is even more important in the warmer months. Some gardeners
are using full bales around their beds now with great success. Gardening
Australias Jerry Coleby-Williams introduced me to this on a recent garden
visit. A video of Jerry explaining this is currently on the ABC’s Gardening
Australia home page. Water saving crystals are not the best thing for all
soils. For better results, spend time improving the quality of your soil so it
absorbs and holds water. As always, rich organic matter is the single best
thing.
Some simple habit changes with everyday activities can get your water savings. Take a bucket into the shower and while you are not washing, let the water accumulate. That could be enough for one garden bed! With many commercial powders claiming “eco-friendliness” now, there is only one I have been recommended to use on the garden-that is the AWARE product made by PLANET ARK. Recycled grey-water is best used on the ornamental garden and not on the veggie patch.
