Allotments 4 All

I was reading a book at a friend's house and it talked about watering in drought conditions (still no rain here for 2 months!). It said that around the plant, you should make a sort of furrow where the plant is, I am thinking more for tomatoes etc, so the plant is actually in a little hollow. Then water directly onto that hollow, a really good watering once a week. This will send the water deeply into the soil, encouraging good root growth and help the plant to source its water better.
I thought that was a really useful tip and wanted to share it (not actually tried it yet, but the physics makes sense!)

MY dad sinks a plant pot next to his tomatoes and put stones in them (only a few) and waters into the pot, means the water doesnt run away and it means the water gets right down to the bottom of the pot and as a result down closer to where its needed.

Just about everyone here uses a similar method, Antipodes, where everything is planted in the sides of heaped up earth and the irrigation channel just below the plant is watered, leaving the hose on at the end of each channel then moving on to the next one - it's the same for all veg (except potatoes of course). I'm not sure it cuts down that much on water usage as a lot goes to waste between plants and at the end of the channel - I've also seen mid season that the water has eroded into the side of the channels exposing the roots. Mulching doesn't seem to be common at all here.

I imagine it's a system that goes back over the centuries. Most plots here are located next to streams and I guess they'd divert some water into the land with channels and dams and then let it water by opening and closing the channels. I remember my father in law doing something similar in his veg patch in his garden. He'd open the hose and then go around opening and closing the channels.

If you cut the bottoms of squash and other drinks bottles and stick them inverted next to plants that need a consistent supply of water you will find that the uptake from the plant will gradually reduce the water level in the bottle and so you will know when to top them up. Make sure that you use more than one bottle in a given area, though, as the neck can become bunged up. This is easy to detect as any that are will simply not be reducing along with the others.

Yes I like the bottle idea, VegBob, I've never heard of it full and sowly dripping down though, I assumed it all went down at once.

Antipodes - I always do this, because I saw it in gardens when I went on holiday to Cyprus. I thought, they must know how to make do in a drought! It's good for watering, certainly - the last thing you want is for water to be running off down the slope (I garden on hills!).

I'm combining it with mulching as well this year, as so many on here have recommended it. Belt and braces  :) I think mulching will help protect the soil from drying when it's windy here (ie ALL THE TIME!!!  :o)

I use the plastic milk containers like a funnel in the ground for my toms.

I have just planted out a few more toms, instead of placing the funnel next to the plant, I have placed it right on top of the rootball.

This may be a bad idea, I have some planted as normal with the funnel next to the plant so I will be able to compare.

In arid parts of Africa they often grow veg in little sunken beds between paths, like raised beds in reverse. They're a bit nearer the water table, and the plants get a little shelter from drying winds.

It makes sense. I might think about that... The thing is the soil of the paths tends to naturally get slightly lower, as it's trampled. And you add lots of organic matter to the beds and they get higher. So I would have to work quite hard at making paths higher than beds. But it could be worth it.

Wasn't someone saying on another thread, their squash did well in the bottom of a tractor rut last year, so they made an artificial equivalent this year? Digeroo, I think.

I do the plastic bottle thing but always find that it just runs straight away! Still, it gets where it needs to go.
I dug up a few spuds yesterday, They are OK, still very small, but the earth around them is just dust!  And I mulched it well, and it was well manured  :o :o

what more can you do?!!  ::)

Re the plastic bottle tip. If you find that, despite pushing them firmly into the ground, they are still emptying too quickly then become friendly with a sweetshop owner. The old fashioned glass jars are good for storage in the kitchen (pasta, rice, pulses, etc) but you can use the plastic versions in the garden. Make a few small holes in the bottom and then use them instead of bottles - experiment to see how few and how small the holes need to be. If you have ultimate patience then you could also regulate water flow by leaving the tops on.

I guess anything hollow is OK - what about actual pipes, like PVC or any hollow vector like that? driven into the ground, then filled? Has anyone tried that?

we use pieces of old drainpipe scavenged from a skip  ;D

If you use the inverted bottles, and the water does not quickly flow out and into the ground then the ground is too compacted, roots need air as well as water, the idea of the bottle is to get the water to and around the roots rather than the surface.

The only problem I see, and this applies mainly where I have inserted the bottles on top of the rootball, is the water may end up washing the compost/soil away from the rootball before the roots have had time to grow into the surrounding area, I will see if this is a problem.