How To Clean Grey Water With Charcoal

How To Summer-proof Your Garden

Summer in the garden is a magical time. The extra warmth guarantees your plants will grow, seemingly over night. Managing the challenge of heat is critical to your gardening success and enjoyment.

Plan ahead to ensure you can provide the water needed by your garden. You need to think about this before going ahead with any planting, as expensive trees or shrubs can easily be lost to water stress.

Grey water systems are becoming more easily available; check out your local hardware store or plumbing supplier. Your local council will have information on permits and installation requirements.

Installing a rainwater tank may seem an expensive option, but you will reap the rewards for many seasons to come. There are excellent websites available to calculate the amount of water catchment possible from your roof space. Even a small tank may be enough to keep your garden going. The tank market has also come a long way. There are now tanks in all shapes and sizes, designed to fit in small spaces such as under the eaves or in the sub floor space.

Drip watering systems make the most of whichever water source you have available, delivering water to the root zone of your plants. Timers can be used to switch the systems on and off, and water sensors can detect moisture levels in the soil.

Mulch, mulch, mulch! Choose from organic or inorganic mulches. Organic mulches such as straw, leaf mould, compost or dried grass clippings decompose over time, adding nutrients to your soil. Inorganic mulches include rocks or gravel, plastic sheeting or shade cloth. They help to keep the soil cool, but make sure that any natural rainfall can penetrate to the soil below. Where possible use organic mulches to build soil fertility and increase water holding capacity within the soil itself. Creating your own compost is a fantastic way of building soil fertility, creating microbe rich mulch. If you don't have space for a large compost heap or bin, then consider a worm farm. There is increasing evidence that increasing soil humus content is an effective way to sequester carbon.

Having set up watering systems and determined a supply of mulch, next consider the types of plants suitable for your site. Small leaved silvery plants usually can cope with hot dry conditions. Lots of herbs also thrive in these conditions. Consider lavender, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. To make the most of the limited light in shady places under trees or eaves, look for plants with darker broad leaves. Group your plants together according to the amount of water and attention they need. This makes providing for their needs less time consuming.

If nothing else, every summer garden should have a few tomato and basil plants. The aroma of crushed tomato leaves and the taste of fresh tomatoes or basil cannot be surpassed. If you lack the space for a garden bed, then both will grow well in pots. Make sure that pots don't dry out.

Finally, look after yourself while outside. Keep well hydrated, wear a hat and long sleeved shirt and use sunscreen. Gardening in the cool of the morning or evening is much more pleasant than toiling in the harsh midday sun!

A garden is to enjoy, so take some time to plan ahead and your garden will thrive. Create an oasis from the heat and your spirits will thrive too.