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When every drop counts

Bob Flowerdew and African farmers both get ready for summer by exchanging water saving tips

British summers can be unpredictable to say the least, but when a hot spell hits, we all need to be prepared to keep things growing. It may come as a surprise, but we can learn useful tips about growing and watering our vegetables from one of the driest places on earth – Sub-Saharan Africa. In semi-arid regions, about 70 per cent of Africans depend on the soil to provide them with food but they also face huge challenges: poor soil quality, small plot sizes and an unpredictable climate mean that poverty is rife.

KG regular Bob Flowerdew invited two Ugandan farmers, Jane Apolot Nyemera and Zennah Muhumuza to his Norfolk garden earlier this year to exchange growing tips and share water-saving ideas.

The farmers, helped in Africa by the UK charity Send a Cow, were visiting projects and staff in the UK and welcomed the chance to meet Bob, not least as the waste not, want not principle is one very close to Bob’s heart. “Unlike in Africa, here in the UK we are growing at the margins of temperature most of the time,” said Bob. “Anything we can do to raise the temperature a bit and save water can help. “Quite often the solution can be found in everyday objects that we throw away.
For example, old tyres soak up the heat during the day and release it at night. “Surrounding your plants with tyres is a simple but very effective way to boost temperature and give nature a helping hand.”
But when a hot spell does hit the UK and the hosepipe bans come into force, our gardens can suffer.

This makes water conservation all the more important. Jane and Zennah were particularly fascinated with Bob’s innovative water-saving techniques, including his network of water butts connected by syphons – pipes full of water connecting two water containers. “Syphons make it much easier to store water and save a tremendous amount of effort by moving it around the garden automatically,” said Bob.
“Not only does this stop all that precious rainwater going to waste, it also means you no longer have to lug heavy cans of water around the garden – simply take it out of the nearest butt” Jane and Zennah were amused to hear that Bob keeps goldfish in his water butts.
“They eat the algae, gnats and flies that land on the water and the fish poo is rich in nutrients,” said Bob. “This makes it ideal for the garden.”

Top 5 green gardening tips

1 Use syphons to connect your water butts and say goodbye to lugging heavy cans of water around the garden

2 Keep fish in your water butts – their waste acts as a natural nutrient and your garden will love it!

3 Less is more – try growing two or three seed varieties at first and see what works best. Build up the varieties gradually.

4 Give nature a helping hand by placing tyres around your seedlings to boost temperature

5 Pest control – cut the tops and bottoms off old plastic bottles and place them over your plants to stop slugs and other pests eating them

For more see this month's issue, available to buy online!

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