Planning for water consumption in community gardens
In a community garden, you might have to build up your water storage capacity, and this can take time and money. You might have limited space for water storage. Even if you have good water storage capacity or mains water, you’ll still need to think about your watering needs. When planning your community garden, we recommend thinking about watering needs as the first consideration.
If you have a limited water supply:
- Even if you’re just starting out, or have limited water, it’s worth prioritising a small number of ‘treat’ plants that volunteers enjoy growing and eating – carrots and tomatoes are always popular.
- Fruit bushes (currants, gooseberries, blueberries etc) don’t require a lot of watering once established – particularly after fruiting. Always plant in the autumn if possible as they’ll establish better and need less watering in the first year.
- Mediterranean herbs are a good option if you’re just starting out or water is limited. These are aromatic herbs such as marjoram, thyme and rosemary. Because they come from hot, dry climates they need little watering once established. Mediterranean herbs should be planted in the spring.
- Vegetables which tolerate some shade are useful for difficult (ie shady) corners, and will dry out less in shade and therefore need less watering. Leaf salads, herbs such as coriander and parsley, and root crops will tolerate some shade (although crops will be smaller). You could also try chives and perpetual spinach. Anything that flowers or fruits will struggle in shade.
- Other vegetables that need less watering include onions and potatoes. Brassicas (for example, broccoli, cabbage or kale) will grow in shade – you’ll get a better crop in sun, but they’ll then need more watering, so there’s a trade-off.
- Some vegetables can be harvested early, so might crop before it gets too dry. Broad beans, potatoes, salad, radish and garlic are popular early crops.
If you've got more plentiful water:
- Vegetables which produce fruit need water to swell and become sweet and tasty, ie: tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, peppers and beans. Plant these crops if you have a more plentiful water supply.
- Tomatoes are the ‘divas’ of the vegetable world – they need lots of water, and need it regularly and consistently, otherwise they’ll split.
- Salad crops will bolt (ie run to seed) if they don’t get enough water.
- A greenhouse or polytunnel increases the range of plants you can grow, and vegetables will crop earlier. However, anything grown under cover is reliant on you for watering, and higher temperatures mean more evaporation and more water is needed.
Reducing water consumption during shortages and droughts:
Even with the best planning, it’s likely you’ll experience periods of drought and water will run low. Below are a few tips to reduce water consumption and save your crops if things go wrong:
- You can reduce the water requirements of some vegetables by removing some of the leaves and flowers – this works well for tomatoes and cucumbers. There’s a trade-off: you’ll have fewer fruits but the plants will need less water.
- If you’re planning to sow seeds or plant out seedlings, wait for a period of rain and overcast weather, so they can germinate and establish without a lot of extra watering.
- Grow small crops such as lettuces in moveable trays – they can be moved into the shade during very hot weather so that they don’t dry out too much.
- See Dan’s Top Tips on Watering for more advice!