Organic Allotment

Day 10 - Friday 18th November 2011 - INIFAT, Santiago de las Vegas

The day started slightly cooler and with less humidity which was a refreshing change. However, this didn’t stop the mosquitoes and ants biting like crazy which was really annoying and meant that my legs and feet in particular were an absolute mess. Horrible!

Collecting water on an organopónico

The first seminar of the day was a session on water management. Although a lot of what was talked about in the session was not directly transferable to the UK it was fascinating to hear the different ways that Cubans make use of water in their urban growing settings.

Cuba is not like the UK with lots and lots of rain so the food producers have got the use of water in growing down to an absolute science – not a drop of it can be wasted. It is especially important to point out that growers are not allowed to take any water from the domestic water system so every bit of water that is used on each site has to be collected during the rainy season and carefully conserved throughout the dry season. In addition to this in all urban agriculture settings careful consideration is made regarding the level of humidity within the soil. In each setting soil is analysed to work out what capacity it has to absorb and retain water. Particular consideration is made of this in relation to the potential limit of productive capacity that each soil also has.

Pumping water Cuban style

In terms of watering plants, detailed information has been drawn together to consider the exact amount of water that is needed to cultivate each different plant and this is carefully considered when deciding how much irrigation is necessary on each different site.

After eating lunch we had a brilliant session looking at the theories and methodologies of creating designs based upon, and in respect of naturally occurring systems.

Poly-cultures that reflect natural systems

In order to do this there are a number of different things that need to be considered within the design:

• The management of soil, water and other resources.
• That management happens as close to production as possible.
• That full consideration needs to be made of the aspect of each site in order to make best use of each different site.
• Recognition of the potential benefits that sustainable management may offer within an economic context.
• Where ever possible you should conserve the structure and function of naturally occurring ecosystems.
• You can only manage things within your own limits.
• You can only every use management techniques that are appropriate within your own context.
• It is essential to recognize the variability in scale and effect that may characterize any natural process.
• Recognise the inevitability of change.
• Find a balance between the conservation and use of biological diversity.
• Make use of all the different information that is available to you in order to conserve your own eco-system.
• The focus of your work should take into consideration all parts of local society as well as all the different scientific aspects of cultivation.

To Water Or Not To Water?

On days like the one pictured above where I was imprisoned in the greenhouse by torrential rain it's hard to imagine that anything ever needs watering at the allotment. Of course, this isn't true and it only takes a day or two of sunshine for plants to need a drink. I have to say that on the whole I take a tough love approach on our plot and only water when absolutely necessary in the the belief that most plants do better if they're allowed to find water for themselves. And if your soil is high in organic matter and you mulch whenever you can you'll be amazed how much moisture the soil will retain even in the hottest weather.

Despite this there are some things that definitely need an extra drink from time to time. For example, all the plants in the greenhouse need watering at least once a day. Twice on a really hot day. In addition to this all seedlings need to be well watered when they're planted out until they're well established. Don't be tempted to leave them to fend for themselves too early as any weakness at that stage in their development will leave them more vulnerable to attack from slugs and other pests. You may also find that if the weather is particularly dry potato, onion and garlic plants won't reach their full potential so it's worth giving them a good drink if this situation arises. If you do need to water any crop outdoors you're always better to give them a really good soaking once or twice a week rather than a cursory dribble of water everyday.

One thing that can cause some degree of controversy on our plot is what time to water. I'm of the argument that on the whole you're better to water in the morning so that the water warms up as the morning sun warms the plant. I also always try to use harvested rainwater as it will have warmed up where it has been stored and be much kinder to the plants. My partner in gardening crime however is of the opinion that watering in the evening is the better bet as the plants will have the chance to absorb more of the water before it is evaporated by the strong morning sun. What we both agree on is not to water at the warmest part of the day and to always water the roots, trying to avoid wetting the leaves if possible.

So there you go... My simple, or not so simple, guide to the practice and politics of allotment watering! To water or not to water? Morning, evening or not at all? I guess that is the question...