h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Conserving Water in the Garden - A1123273
Author: Mina - U290

I think this is about finished. I might add some more tips if I think of any, but if anyone else has some I'd be happy to add them in.

I haven't mentioned gravel as a mulch, because I think it's stupid. So there.

Thanks!

Only the one thought - watering in the evening would be better than during the morning as it cuts down on evaporation. Or am I missing something and being a bit dense?

Other than that informative and well wriytten. I like it, though my auntie Maggie is a bit active to be used as a drainpipe holder. Now, great aunt leanora on the other hand...

Very nice little entry...

Most newspapers use a soy-based ink which is perfectly fine to use in the garden.

I use newspapers as a weed barrier as well - spreading out the papers but not tearing them. It keeps the weeds from growing and holds in moisture really well. A quick layer of mulch on top and it looks great!

BS - I'd always been told *not* to water in the evening cause the moisture can accumulate on leaves and lead to mouldy-type stuff. But I'm no expert by a long shot.


- Jimi X

Great stuff!

Although as joint owner of a gardenless flat, I must say I have no great knowledge on the subject...

Well that seems very fair and resonable, I must say, Jimi.

Thanks for the comments!

"Only the one thought - watering in the evening would be better than during the morning as it cuts down on evaporation. Or am I missing something and being a bit dense?"

Blues Shark, I'm not really sure what your point is here. I do say that watering in the evening is best under "Avoiding Evaporation", it's the first sentence.

Jimi, I wonder if it is a climate thing, because most gardeners here recommend evening watering. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module5/successful_watering2.shtml Even our lovely Alan says it.

Do you think I need to clarify it in some way?

I've just read that piece I linked to properly, and Alan recommends mornings for cold weather. So you're probably right too. I can change the entry to conserving water in the garden during hot weather, does this distinction need to be made?

Erm, must have missed that . Just ignore me, I'll get me coat...

No problem.

When to water is definitely climate related, and your entry should be changed, or it's title should be more specific to the geography you intended. Here in LA, it's always warm and we get moist marine air at night. If you water at night here, you are begging for your garden to be devoured by snails, nematodes, powdery mildew and red spider mite.

My grandparents were farmers in the Colorado Rockies, where the demand for water is very high and farmers only got a certain allotment to grow their crops. It was discovered that while you do indeed lose water to the air when you sprinkle, it nevertheless saves a great deal of water over standard irrigation. Drip-irrigation (the best option, which you did mention) is rather capital intensive, expensive to run, and troubleprone, so the concept "sprinklers-are-always-bad" isn't necessarily true.

Also climate related, you comment on Mediterranean plants. Perhaps a better statement would be to say, "plants native to your area" or "native to your climate", because many mediterranean plants will not do well in Seattle-it's not sunny enough, and many mediterranean plants can't live in the New Mexico desert-it's too cold. Again, you could just be talking about Unitedkingdomese lands, so this may not be relevant to your subject.

Thanks for those comments. I've added 'in the UK' to the title. I do try to write entries that will help people everywhere, but it never seems to work out that way.

Nice one Mina

Footnote one is on the large side, could you work any of that into the main body of the entry?

Any chance of Imperial equivalents for the measurements, for those of use that haven't got the hang of this odd French system?

>Seep-hoses are porous pipes that seeps water along its length.

That's a bit of a mess of plurals and singulars. Either:

"A seep-hose is a porous pipe that seeps water along its length",

or

"Seep hoses are porous pipes that seep water along their length".

>It will rot down into the soil quite quickly, but it you"

Should be
"But if you"

KA. I've changed those sentences.

I'd rather stick to cm - we can use whatever we like as long as we're consistent through the entry. And I like cms.

I've shortened the footnote, I did leave some out of the main entry because it's not actually about conserving water.

I meant use both actually- why not just have a footnote on the first occurance- I inch ?

I'm not really convinced that it's necessary Kerr, because I only use one measurement really. Still, if it will make you happy, I added a footnote with a link to the 'Units of Measurement' entry, so that readers who are interested can work it out for themselves.

It doesn't make any difference to us, but what about our yank friends?

I haven't used both forms of measurements in any other entry that I've written. I've linked to an entry where anyone can find out what the unit is if they don't know already.

I'm a Yank. I'm glad we're friends!



Since Mina has changed her article to Gardens in the UK, should I actually go to the UK and start a garden there, I would want to know how to measure things based on the units available in my new country.

Here in LA, sometimes folk will talk about xeriscapes using native plants, and desert gardens (usually with gravel mulch! ) the quantity of water needed for these would be obviously different, and would vary considerably by season for the native garden, but Mina isn't writing about them. The way she had it written is fine.

'I would want to know how to measure things based on the units available in my new country'

1 cup = 1 oz.

Seriously, a very nice article. One hint I'd give, but I'm not sure whether this is the right place for it, is that containers benefit from a squirt of washing-up liquid. This helps the compost retain moisture better. I've just put a watering system in my greenhouse: this primarily helps to save labour, but it also seems to cut down on the amount of water used to keep it ticking over.

Cheers
FM
Scout

Thanks Sea Change.

FM - I've noted your comments in my big gardening notebook - I won't ad it in here, as this entry is about borders, rather than containers. I realy could be bothered to go into detail about 'moisture retaining gel' etc. Plus my containers always look half dead because half the plants *are* dead. So I didn't think that any advice I gave would be any good. On the other hand, my borders are going beserk.