Liz’s Allotment Life: Gardening through a hosepipe ban
A hosepipe ban, relentless heat and a summer glut of vegetables have made every decision on the allotment count. RHS Wisley Edibles Horticulturalist Liz Mooney shares the practical techniques helping her grow productive crops while using less water
It has been a few weeks since the last blog. Between my master’s dissertation on
Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
perennial vegetables and keeping up with the summer workload in the World Food Garden at RHS Wisley, life has been a bit hectic. While RHS Wisley work and my dissertation have calmed down a little, the weather has not and the relentless heat continues.
My area – Surrey – is now under a hosepipe ban, meaning every drop counts and keeping the allotment productive is all about making the most of the water you use.
Understanding the rules
Before I get into what I’m doing on the plot, it’s worth checking the rules where you live. In my area, there is an exemption for watering food crops on allotments where a watering can isn’t sufficient, although the wording leaves plenty open to interpretation. Whether or not you choose to use that exemption, this dry spell is a good reminder that water is precious. I’ve been trying to make every watering can count, and these are the approaches that have been working for me.
Triaging the plot – who gets a drink?
By this point in the season, many crops are established and need less water than we might think, so blanket watering is best avoided.
Watering priority
High priority: Tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, celeriac
Monitor: Parsnips, winter squash, potatoes
Let nature take over: Flower borders, perennial crops
The thirsty crops: Tomatoes, cucumbers, and my still establishing celery and celeriac need regular watering to keep them actively growing and cropping.
The resilient crops: Parsnips, winter squash and potatoes are established enough to not need watering.
The survivors: My flower bed and perennial vegetables have not received any water beyond the occasional rainfall and they well be fine.
Liz’s flower bed has thrived this summer with little more than the occasional rainfall
Making every drop count
Time it right: Avoid watering during the hottest part of the day, when more water is lost through evaporation. Watering in the morning while temperatures are cooler minimises evaporative losses, giving plants the best chance to absorb the moisture they need. Evening watering is another option, but it can encourage nocturnal slugs.
Target the root zone: Aim water directly at the base of each plant so it reaches the roots, where it’s needed most, rather than wetting the foliage.
Water deeply: When you do water, give the plants a real soak around the base of the plant, this encourages plant roots to follow moisture deeper into the soil profile promoting deeper and more established root development. Plants with deeper root systems are better able to access stored soil moisture during prolonged dry spells, whereas a quick sprinkle encourages shallow rooting and leaves crops more susceptible to drought stress.
Build soil ‘doughnuts’: Building small circular earth banks around the base of a plant acts as a small basin that slows surface runoff, allowing water to infiltrate directly above the root system rather than flowing away across dry soil. This improves water use efficiency, particularly on compacted or sloping soils.
Looking to a Perennial Future
After spending the past year researching perennial vegetables for my Masters, this summer has been a fascinating reminder of their resilience in practice. Unlike annual crops, established
Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
perennials have years to develop deep, extensive root systems that exploit moisture reserves lower in the soil profile, reducing their reliance on watering during prolonged dry spells. As a result, they are generally much more resilient to drought once established. It’s too late to change this year’s planting, but in the future perennials might be the crop of choice.
Crop of the Week: Cabbage ‘Greyhound’
At this point in the season, I’m overflowing with allotment produce and can’t keep up with eating all the courgettes, cucumbers and chard available and now my cabbages have joined the harvest.
An early harvest of cabbage ‘Greyhound’, a reliable summer cabbage producing plenty of leaves for the kitchen
I sowed these in
Small individual cells, usually in a tray, used for sowing seeds. The resulting seedlings can be transplanted with minimal root disturbance.
modules earlier in the year before planting them out and I have started to harvest them this week. Rather than letting surplus go to waste, I have decided to try to preserve the cabbage for over the winter.
I have frozen red cabbage before with great success but have always found white cabbage to be distinctly unpleasant on de-frosting. This year I have shredded and gently braised the cabbage with homegrown onions and a splash of red wine vinegar before freezing it as a ready to reheat winter side dish. It smells lovely, and the initial taste is very good, so let us hope it isn’t damaged too much by the freezer.
Liz’s freezer tip: shredded braised ‘greyhound’
Shread the cabbage ‘greyhound’ finely
Gently braise with home-grown onions
Add a splash of red wine vinegar to lock in acidity, cool and freeze
Note: Because green cabbages lose their crisp texture after defrosting‚ pre-cooking them as a ready to reheat winter side dish is a good storage hack.
Coming up on the Plot
The focus over the next few weeks will be harvesting the summer abundance, keeping on top of the few bits of watering and filling the freezer in preparation for self-sufficiency over winter.
