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We are smack in the middle of a Hibiscus Coast drought with hardly enough water for our household needs, let alone to keep our gardens flourishing.
The vegetables in my Manly garden were planted before the hot dry days of summer arrived and had time to establish a root system that helped them to survive the hotter days. I experimented with carrots, parsnips, onions, swedes, potatoes, turnips, beetroot and kumara for three reasons – I was not sure if I had enough tank water, or enough mulch material, and knowing that healthy soil is the best protection for crops during a drought, I was certain that I had not incorporated enough compost into the new garden beds to hold enough moisture in the soil.
A never-ending supply of water is not guaranteed. Perhaps the drought will have the upside of getting people thinking about conserving and re-using water. A plug in the bathtub allowed us to siphon all our shower or bath water onto the garden. Dish washing by hand kept water on site in the garden. And a series of smaller tanks to collect runoff from all the roof were installed.
Drought would not be a problem if we used available technology. In future, houses will have grey water tanks, composting toilets, worm farms, instead of water hungry insinkerators. Rainwater tanks will be plumbed into laundries and toilets.
To reduce the consequences of drought: • Water vegetables early in the morning, and do it slowly around the roots to allow deep penetration into the soil
• Use cloches and shade cloth to protect plants during the hottest part of the day
• Capture and store rainwater
• Recycle all the easily available house water
• Give plants some space but plant in blocks rather than rows. Put plants with similar water requirements together like cucumbers, and zucchini
• Mulch all bare spaces to reduce soil temperatures and evaporation
• Suppress weeds that compete for water with mulch
• Grow perennials like asparagus, rhubarb, and Jerusalem artichokes
• Plant kumara and pumpkins to ramble amongst fruit trees
• Beans have the highest water requirements so plant them close to the house and use recycled water.
