KITCHEN GARDENS By Norina Jane

Water, water, water!

Now is the perfect time to check your irrigation system and if you don’t have one, now is the perfect time to install an irrigation system. It won’t be long before rainfall in the Whitsundays reduces significantly.

The average rainfall (which we are exceeding this month) is around 120mm but in June its 89mm and July is 60mm, and it will remain at this level for the months of August and September.

A lack of water in the vegetable and herb garden will result in plants bolting. Bolting means the plant will flower and seed prematurely, so keeping up the water is really important.  

I water my garden every morning and I get into the practice of taking my water bottle for my water intake at the same time. As a female I need to drink around two litres a day, how is your water intake?  It’s not just your plants that need water!

Watering in the late afternoon (as the sun sets) will see water settling on the foliage of your flourishing vegetable plants which promotes fungal growth. Nasty!

If it has not rained, then remember to water. It’s part of my morning ritual and I am not a morning person! So, I roll out of bed when the dreaded alarm goes off and spend half an hour watering the vegetables while I slowly wake up.

I have 20 vegetable beds, so if you have one or two, then you can find 15 minutes each morning to water your plants.

If not, put an irrigation system in now. It’s not as complicated as you may think and if you feel it’s just too overwhelming then come in and see us at 124 Paluma Rd and we will help you get set up as we have everything you need.  

If that still sounds too much, consider vegepods which have their own built-in irrigation. Put it on a timer and job done!

For those who have an irrigation system already, turn it on and check for low pressure (which could mean a leak) or nozzles that are not working. A blocked nozzle or worse still a broken nozzle, can result in a section of your plants not being watered and dying a slow and sad death.

Did you know:

Watermelons are made up of over 90 per cent water and if you eat one cup of watermelon, that is the equivalent of drinking half a cup of water. Similarly, a cucumber, made up of 96 per cent water, is easy to grow, low in calories and a great source of fibre.

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