Eynsford Gardeners' Club

Flower Power!!

(And ‘What No Water!!’)

 

It has been pointed out to me, by my wife, that I only write about the allotment and that this is because I spend much of my free time there and not in the garden with the flowers and other non-veg like stuff. Well, thought I, this is a fair statement as I am such an avid allotmenteer that I do tend to overlook the garden which is a shame because in the summer I get so much enjoyment out of it while sitting and admiring the flowers which are only there because of Jo’s hard work. This came to me while watching her plant seeds over the weekend, Rudbeckia and Verbena which we had got free from the ‘Gardening News’ newspaper. To me these are just long, odd and almost totally unpronounceable words but to Jo they mean colour and form and she knows just how they are going to look when planted on. I admire that in any gardener who spends their time and skill to make that special area of their property stand out with beauty and colour but I am afraid I don’t yet have that skill to know how things will look once they have filled out and thus know exactly where they should go. So here’s to all you flower people and good luck for the year to come!! (We may need it with no water)

 

Well its official we are in a drought and its only MARCH!!! (Did you see what I did there?) and so it’s time to stop and take stock and plan how we are going to keep our gardens and allotments watered this summer. Over the past few weeks I have fitted three extra water butts at the allotment and now just need some rain to fill them up. We have also been planning to use our grey water, water from washing and bathing, which we will collect and store to use when the weather turns hot (I have been assured that the plants don’t mind this and just hope that we don’t get soapy tasting carrots!) There are also some great gadgets that help to save water such as a thing called a ‘Big Dripper’ which looks like a colostomy bag but once full can water up to 6 plants for a few days on only one fill. Last year we also tried planting my more thirsty plants like courgettes and pumpkins in shallow hollows which meant that when watering, the water didn’t just run off and evaporate but soaked into the place the plant most needed it. We are going to try this method this year on runner beans and even possibly on our broad beans.  

So here’s to flowers, the possibility of rain and the ingenuity of allotmenteers and gardeners who will keep the plants watered and the veg growing!

 

Don’t forget it’s the Spring Show on the 30th March in Eynsford Village Hall starting at 8pm.

Jason