Water water everywhere, not a drop to drink.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE,

n a drop to drk... By Gilda Galvad

There was a very old song by Tommy Steele in the 1950's called Water, water, and the first line is Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink ...Who would have thought decades later that this is fast becoming a reality? South Africa is a water stressed country and many people are becoming aware of this fact. It is actually just one of many countries and water shortage will soon be felt throughout the world. Not to dwell on negativity, let us take a positive approach and see what we can do about this situation and how we can in our own small ways, help to alleviate what could become a crisis.

GARDENERS CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Being aware of your best water usage is the place to start. There are various ways to conserve water and to use water to the best advantage

Firstly plant your vegetables together that have the same watering requirements. When you establish your vegetable planting area, make provision for water retaining commodities for example an olla. This is a terracotta pot that is buried in the ground and filled with water that seeps through the walls of the vessel gradually, keeping the surrounding soil fed with sufficient water without any extra water running off and also preventing evaporation from the surface of the soil.

Another very useful device is the Eco-Smart Waterer, which can be placed in a pot, container or directly in the ground, which is fed by placing a bottle inverted over it. The advantage of this device is that you set the amount of water that is allowed to slowly and efficiently drip into the soil, which, once again, does not cause run off and all the water is utilised in situ.

DON'T water your plants in the middle of the day or during the hours that the sun is still very hot. We often underestimate the amount of evaporation and the unnecessary loss of water.

DRIP IRRIGATION, properly installed is a great idea. Make sure that the area of the drip overlaps the edge of the next area of that drip, otherwise you will land up with dry patches.

DIGGING FURROWS in your tunnels and garden is also a useful idea as the water will seep into the ground close to the roots.

SPRINKLER SYSTEM. If using overhead sprinkler systems check that the water is not spraying out of the intended and needed area eg onto the driveway where you don't want mud or weeds growing.

USE GREY WATER. For vegetables and edibles keep your use of soap to organic and natural soaps. I don't believe that chemical products should make their way into your edible food. Chemicals in the water from your washing will also kill the essential natural microbes in the soil and will result in poor soil health. This will impact your produce, both taste and nutritionally. Rainwater tanks are a must. Please invest in one, even a small one if affordability restricts your purchase.

BUCKET IN SHOWER. Place a bucket in your shower to collect pre warming water. This is ideal to save water and use in your garden, you will be surprised at how much gets wasted.

DRIPPING TAPS, of course, are a no no.

Water wise is a mantra we should all adopt.