Last summer was exceptionally dry with hose pipe bans being announced in many areas. The spring of 2024 was very wet, with flood alerts and warnings across the country. Climate change is having a very real effect on our weather. One small thing that garden custodians can do to mitigate changing weather systems is to collect and store water in times of plenty to provide water in times of drought, in both water butts and in the soil. Water butts come in all shapes and sizes from 100-litre butts that will fit in smaller spaces to 1000-litre IBC tanks for larger spaces. They can be plumbed in from the roofs of houses, garages, sheds and greenhouses or even from a purpose-built roof over an IBC tank. At our local community garden we have three IBC tanks, collecting water from sheds and from the small roof sheltering our tumbling composter. This summer, even with 3000 litres of water storage we were still running very low on water! At the moment, after a few wet days, they are all full. When plumbed in from house guttering, they come with an overflow pipe that redirects water, when overflowing, back to the drains. IBC tanks can be purchased reasonably cheaply online, sometimes water companies run special offers on the purchase of water butts and of course, it is always worth looking on sites like Freegle for unwanted vessels suitable for water storage.
Storing water in the soil is another way of mitigating climate change in our gardens. Organic matter in the soil can act like a sponge, absorbing and holding on to water even during dry periods, reducing or even eliminating the need for watering. Mulches laid onto the surface of moist soil will reduce evaporation and add organic matter in the soil. One of the problems with heavy rain after periods of drought is that the water can run off the soil surface rather than being absorbed into the soil which can lead to flooding. Adding organic matter to our gardens in the form of compost, leaves, shreddings of woody materials and bark chips helps the water to stay in your garden.
The next Wild Bunch meeting is very soon! Join us at the town hall on Thursday 20 November for a free talk about hedgehogs with Keyford Hedgehog Rescue from 1.30pm to 3pm at the town hall. Then in December we’ll meet for mince pies on 18 December to look back on another year of wildlife-friendly gardening. Find out more and book a free place at bit.ly/wild-bunch-frome.
