I’ve tortured myself for a month or more about how I’m going to keep the veg in my new tunnel watered from November to May - when there’s no water on the Allotment. This is the solution that Debbie and I finally came up with.
It might not last 10 years, but it looks good and works well on it’s first day! Make sure to watch to the end of the video for details of the products used.
If you are new to my allotment videos you might find a bit of context useful. We have three allotments in my family, mine (Steve), my wife's (Debbie) and my middle daughter's (Jennie). We also have a small kitchen garden at home. They are all managed in an integrated fashion, so don't expect to see the usual mix of veg on each plot.
On Jennie's plot, for example, we focus on potatoes, squash, alliums, and brassicas. This video provides an overview • The big picture of our... . I do an update of the allotments, roughly one a week, you can find the tours here • Tours .
Our approach to allotment life is to: grow as much as we possibly can, to be self-sufficient in veg all year round and in fruit in summer, to give away our huge surplus to friends and family, and to have as much fun as possible.
My wife and I spend about 4 hours a day, 4 days a week on the plots (on average) and we keep nudging that down as we eliminate non-productive work: like grass cutting, weeding and watering as much as practical. We are both newbie gardeners, only starting the allotments in 2016.
I'm a bit obsessive about the nutrient density of the veg that we grow and making the plots easy to work because it's through this allotment lifestyle and food that I've overcome a debilitating auto-immune disease.
I'm always aware though that it might not last so I make sure that I don't work too hard, eat the most organic fruit and veg I can and design the plots so that I can still work them if I flare up again.