Summer has been very dry. We haven’t had any slow-falling rain in the past two months. Officially we got 80mm of rain this month. It came in two heavy showers, and most of it was drained away, so it’s a real question how much rain we actually got.

The garden is growing well, but the lack of water is visible. Past two days I’ve been digging the beds and the soil is completely dry at shovel length. This means that all of the short-rooted plants are suffering from water deprivation. I spread some mulch earlier, but the mulch can’t help much when there is no rain or moisture. Only one morning had morning dew. The rest of the days have been very dry despite the high humidity in the air. I guess the warm nights and south winds are preventing the soil from cooling down overnight.

The only solution to this is watering. Although I can’t give the soil the amount of water needed I try to water often. During the period when my plants were smaller, I used to shower the garden with the hose. Now, that the plants are bigger showering wastes too much water. Most of the water ends on the leaves and away from the root so now I use a watering can. 

Watering in the downhill garden is a struggle. Taking anything heavy around is difficult, especially when going up. Since the barrel is in the middle of the garden, I have to walk up the hill with the can at least 20 times.

My barrel can hold up to 250 liters (66gal) of water and this is enough for one watering. I try not to water the garden every day. Only the freshly sown vegetables are watered every day, the rest is watered every couple of days. Watering in the evening helps the soil stay moist longer, so I don’t need to water every day. If I water in the morning, the sun dries up the soil in just a few minutes, so there’s no point in watering.

Watering the garden takes around 40 to 50 trips to the barrel and back. I can’t use a can heavier than 5 liters, so it takes me ages to water. Even more when the barrel is half empty. I can’t reach the bottom of the barrel, so I fill up half of the can each time. 

I water everything except the tomatoes. Tomatoes have deeper roots and can find water themselves. Watering them would actually cause more damage, I could trigger the late blight and lose all my tomatoes.

Watering takes at least an hour. I’d be faster with a bigger water can, but that’s not an option. Also, I have to be careful not to hurry too much, especially during a heatwave. I don’t sweat, so when I work in the heat I can overheat easily. Once I start sweating I’m already on the border of heat exhaustion, and I can’t work anymore.

For me, sweating comes together with a throbbing headache, heat rash, and sometimes even fever, so I never work after I start to sweat. I finish with the garden and go to the house to take a long shower. Two weeks ago I went to trim some bushes in the neighbors’ yard, and I didn’t realize the temperature was too high, so I spent the rest of the day in bed with a headache, muscle cramps, and fever. Now I’m extra careful. 

Srećko also helps with the watering. He walks around the garden after me, watching from the distance. He’s not a big fan of water, except for the rain, but he likes to drink the water from the watering can. 

That’s why we always keep an extra watering can in the yard so that he could drink from it. No matter how many bowls there are in the house, a watering can is the best. 

The watering will help the plants survive the heat, but I hope we’ll get some nice rain soon. Nothing helps more than a nice, mild overnight rain.