18/12/2025
Here's what I wrote in the latest copy of the Beacon's Ita supplement if you missed it.
Water Harvesting
Summer weather is starting to kick in. and watering will become one of the main tasks in the garden. Water Harvesting is the term to describe collecting and storing your own water. It offsets the water meter bill and can be used in times of emergency.
Rain water is great for the garden and some plants such as strawberries, palms and tomatoes are quite sensitive to chlorine which is present in treated town water. Chlorine can also build up in the soil of indoor house plants.
Water collection can be a simple as well placed bucket or rubbish bin under a shade sail drip.
You can also collect off your roof using rain diverters, which are a small plastic device that is easily installed into your current down pipe. A standard 15mm hose fitting clicks into the side of the diverter and the other end of the hose drains the water into a tank or barrel. When the barrel is full, the diverter sends water back down the drain pipe where it would have gone anyway. This way the tank never overflows and is always topped up. There is a very clever diverter that will NOT collect the first 20 litres. The idea being that the first flush of water contains a few leaves and any debris off the roof . This gets diverted down the drain pipe first and then the following water goes into your tank. Tanks and barrels can be located in strategic positions to allow for watering or positioned near the down pipe and hidden around the side of the house or behind a hedge. By placing the barrel or tank on a stand you will be able to place a bucket or watering can underneath the outlet.
Food grade plastic barrels (the size of the good old 44 gallon drum) are ideal and hold about 200 litres. I saw one recently that caught water in a wheelie bin. A bucket could be quickly filled by lifting the lid. If you are really keen then get the biggest tank you can afford. Its amazing how much water comes off a standard house in a small shower. The plastic tank you see in a metal cage is called and IBC (international bulk container) and are ideal.There are also thin rectangular tanks to fit beside the house. A w**e barrel looks flash,
Tips
Many books suggest watering in the evening only. The main reason being less water will be lost by evaporation from the sun. I disagree with evening watering. Watering in the evening drops the soil temperature and growth slows down. Wet leaves in the evening are more prone to fungus diseases compared with those allowed to dry out before it gets dark. The ideal time to water is 10 AM. This allows time for the plant to dry out and the soil temperature to get back to normal
Some people love to water. They go around and give each individual plant the amount it needs. You can dream and plan and generally escape the world. Some plants require more water than others depending on the type of plant or soil or position. Reducing water on leaves can reduce fungal problems, Hand watering with a hose or watering can suits me
Irrigation systems are great if you are busy. or going on holiday. There are a myriad of easy fit connections that can spit, mist, drip or spin depending on plant need. Some send water 90 or 180 degrees only so you can keep paths dry .The idea is to buy a basic starter kit and then add the particular emitters as you need.
Mulching is a term used when you place things like grass clippings or compost around plants to reduce water loss. Now is the time to mulch all plants. Don't use fresh clippings as these tend to heat up as they rot . Bagged up compost or pea straw work well
December Jobs
Continue to sow summer vegetable seeds directly in the soil. Vegetables such as lettuce, spinach,carrots and beetroot don't transplant very well and bolt to flowering at this time of the year. It’s too late for capsicums or eggplants from seed, so get some plants instead. Plant two or three courgette seeds in the ground now so that when your current ones get mildew in February you can pull them out without a gap in production
Keep some of the laterals you remove from tomatoes. These form roots very easily and when planted in February will provide you with strong healthy tomatoes when others have succumbed to blight. Push laterals down into soft soil and water them in. These will flower and produce fruit in under a month
It may sound strange yet NOW is also the main period for sowing plants for the winter garden. This week I am planting parsnip seeds directly into the soil and shall be planting seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and leeks. By planting now, they will have all of Jan Feb March and April to grow while there are still temperatures above 15 degrees. As May and June arrive the temperature will drop and no real growth occurs. You will be harvesting right through to June and July (winter). Winter is a storage time not a growing time, so start your winter garden now.
