ACROSS the country, we’re facing a mixed bag when it comes to cumulative rainfall. January was dry for most parts of the country, whereas March and April were discernibly wetter. May brought mixed blessings, providing local peaks and troughs – culminating with weeks of heat in June. So where do we stand now? Despite recent blazes, minimal rain and subsequent straw-like lawns, it’s a bit of a postcode lottery.
No matter what state your local reservoirs are in now, it pays to be waterwise to avoid possible restrictions later this summer. There are some straightforward management methods you can apply to your plot (see page 20), but it also pays to understand your crops. It isn’t necessarily the case that continual watering is best – this can be wasteful. Instead, focus on each crop’s moisture-sensitive stages so you’re targeting your irrigation towards the most receptive times.
