Kem Ormond’s vegetable garden: Water-wise gardening for the summer ahead

Water early in the morning and later in the evening.

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s looking at the best way to save water over the summer months.

As summer approaches and water restrictions begin to be set across the country, it becomes more important to consider how you are going to save water while keeping your garden productive and healthy.

When I started gardening, I learned that watering early in the morning or in the evening reduces evaporation, and applying the water close to ground level ensures it reaches where it’s most needed.

Aim for the dripline of the plants, the area beneath the outer edge of the canopy.

If your garden includes some slopes, water the highest parts first so any runoff benefits the lower regions. Keeping sprinklers adjusted so they don’t spray on to paths or driveways also saves significant water over time.

The way you water your plants has a major influence on how much moisture actually reaches their roots. Systems such as soak hoses and dripper lines, which deliver water directly into the soil rather than on to foliage, are among the most efficient methods. They encourage plants to grow deeper roots, making them more resilient in dry conditions and far less likely to suffer during short periods without rain.

Unfortunately, not all of us have a watering system, and when we can only water by hand, we are all in the same boat.

Gardeners are often surprised to learn that watering less frequently is usually more effective. A deep soaking every three to five days is generally enough, although this may need to increase in the height of summer, especially for vegetable gardens and other edible crops. A thorough watering encourages roots to grow deeper into the ground, searching for moisture and nutrients.

My brother-in-law, the late Peter Ormond, had a nursery in Hawke’s Bay for many years, growing plants designed to survive dry conditions.

He told me that when he planted a new plant in his garden, it was given a good soaking, and that was it; it was on its own.

It is all about the correct plants for the correct conditions, and that is something worth remembering.

This leads to stronger, healthier plants that can tolerate dry spells far more easily. A simple check can help determine whether watering is needed: if the soil is moist about 10cm below the surface, your garden should be fine; if it feels dry at that depth, it’s time to water again.

It’s important to remember that overwatering can be just as damaging as drought. Consistently damp soil creates an environment where diseases like root rot, mildew, and blackspot can thrive.

Stressed or weakened plants also tend to attract pests. Maintaining a balance is the key, and combining several water-saving habits will give you the best results.

There are many ways to make your water go further, and we need to start considering these. Using roof-collected rainwater or grey water from baths and washing machines is an easy place to start, especially for watering shrubs.

Installing rain barrels or small tanks not only conserves water but can also reduce household bills. There are some great slimline tanks on the market now that take up minimal space.

During hot spells, mowing the lawn slightly higher helps prevent the grass from becoming stressed, plus it stays greener longer, and leaving the clippings on the lawn provides a natural mulch.

Mulching around your vegetables will help keep the soil moist.

Even water from cleaning a fish tank or fish pond can be recycled in the garden, adding valuable nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil. I use water from my fishpond to water my house plants, and they thrive on it.

Mulches and compost improve the soil’s ability to retain moisture while providing nutrients that support robust growth.

Using the chop-and-drop method in both my vegetable and flower gardens ensures there is always a covering of mulch on my soil.

Make sure you do routine maintenance, such as checking for leaks in hoses and irrigation lines, pulling out weeds, and using cloches or growing tunnels to protect soil from drying winds, which further enhances your water-saving efforts.

In fact, in the past I have been known to catch the water in the shower and bucket it out of the bath when there had been little rain in my area. I was on tank water, and every drop was like gold!

With a thoughtful approach and a few simple habits, it’s entirely possible to keep your garden thriving while still conserving precious water throughout the summer months.