Gardening Matters
A weekly article on Organic Gardening from the Inishowen Independent....
Monday, February 7, 2022
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Surface Water Flooding in the Garden
There have been a few roof leaks appearing over the last few
weeks.
I’ve known about the one in the tunnel for a while, these
were caused by pesky birds standing outside on top of the plastic and pecking
at the insects inside with their sharp, pointy beaks.
The shed roof probably needs recovering. The flat roof in
the kitchen and water stains on the living room ceiling will need to be
addressed at some point too. These can’t really be fixed in a rush in between
rain showers, so we’ll have to put up with the plopping noise water drops make
in the buckets as the roof drips.
Thankfully, most of my garden has survived waterlogging or
flooding. Others aren't so lucky.
The worst-case scenarios are gardens that get washed away by
flash floods when rivers burst their banks.
The majority of flooding and waterlogging in our gardens is
less damaging and dramatic and comes from something called “surface water
flooding”.
Surface Water
Flooding
Surface water flooding happens when water is unable to drain
away from the surfaces it has fallen, or sitting in.
It can appear as large puddles, water sitting on paved
surfaces outside the house, flowing water and sometimes hidden just under the
surface of the lawn.

Heavy, consistent rainfall is the main culprit although
melting ice and snow can contribute.
Normally, if rain falls onto a hard surface, like roof tiles
or concrete, it will roll away and find the nearest drain. If it falls onto
grassy surfaces, planted areas or bare earth it will be absorbed until the land
is saturated. Surface water flooding happens when water that has fallen onto a
hard surface cannot roll away or find a drain. It also happens when water falls
onto a vegetated or soft surface that is already saturated so it can’t soak up
any more water.
When surface water flooding occurs, it can damage plants and
also create hazards on paved areas and encourage slippery moss to grow. If it’s
particularly persistent the water can cause structural problems for paved
surfaces, fences, sheds and outdoor buildings.
There are a few preventative things we can do to help the
water along it’s slow meander to the sea.
Clearing Gutters and Outside Drains
Gutters play a key role in channelling excess water away
from your home. Regularly check that they’re in good repair and replace any
parts that have deteriorated or broken.
Repair Roofs
Keeping an eye on your roof is an important part of
protecting your home from heavy rain and snowfall. Rainwater will rely on a
smooth, sloped surface to find its way into the gutters and downpipes. Tiled
roofs can be checked for loose tiles at least once a year as well as after
extreme weather. Pay close attention to any flat or felted roofs as they don’t
fare well in Ireland. They are more at home in drier climates.
Water Butts
It’s a great idea to
make good use of it by installing water butts at the base of your downpipes.
They’re ideal for capturing water for outdoor use but can only collect a small
amount in the grand scale of things.
Driveways
Driveways and parking spaces can be one of the trickiest
spaces when it comes to surface water. Whilst it makes an ideal surface for
your car, paving these areas with concrete, asphalt or block paving can make it
hard for water to soak away.
Planning
Choose surfaces that allow water to permeate through or run
easily off them when garden planning. In addition, take into account that the
surface will need a slight fall, or slope, to allow water to drain away from
your house and any outdoor buildings.
Drains
It’s not just gutters that need to be kept clear to keep
water flowing. Have a look at uncovered drains in the spring and autumn and
after big storms.
French drain
If all else fails and you find that you have a more serious
water logging drainage problem in the garden, you could have a ‘French drain’
installed. This system is essentially an extra underground drainpipe.
A healthy lawn does a great job of allowing rainwater to
flow through the water table. Plants and
trees also play an important role throughout your garden as they will absorb
groundwater through their roots.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Would You Read A Warning Label On Potting Compost?
Legionnaires’ disease spores identified in some potting compost
I have always fancied the idea of living in an off-grid
caravan in the middle of a field, a professional hermit if you like. The idea
of living a solitary lifestyle tending to the garden without interruption and
the trappings of modern living also seemed so appealing.
Until recently.
I had what I like to call “A bit of a turn” just before
Christmas and the thought of being anywhere but in a warm and dry home or even
a hospital would have been a nightmare.
I don’t really like talking about ailments but in this case and
haven’t done sense I had my tonsils out when I was 7. I’ll make an exception
here, so just pretend you’re in the supermarket queue and asked me how I am
getting on.
Initially I didn’t feel very well with a few cold symptoms so
took myself to bed for a while. Which turned into ten days. After that time, I
wasn’t feeling any better and I lost the ability to walk out of the bedroom unaided,
so I had a feeling it was something more than a cold. One ambulance journey to the hospital later
it turned out I had pneumonia. I’d have never guessed I was in the vulnerable
category but as I’m getting close to 60 maybe I am.
I had a week in my own quarantined room in the hospital as
they did tests to see which strain of pneumonia I had, there are contagious and
non-contagious types. It didn’t take me long to get institutionalised and I soon
got used to the regular meals and around the clock attention from the wonderful
staff.
It turned out I had the non-contagious type (which didn’t surprise
me as I don’t really come into contact with many people) so the facemasks came
off and the doors were opened. This got me thinking, how did I get it if it wasn’t
from someone breathing on me?
It’s pure speculation of course but I narrowed it down to
two things that I did prior to having the “Turn” I was cleaning up old lamps
with really fine wire wool the day before without a facemask and I was thinking
some of the steel dust could have latched onto my lungs and caused an infection.
The second theory- because that’s what this is, a theory- was that I opened an
old bag of potting compost in the tunnel a few days before and maybe breathed
in some of the fungal spores from the bag.

The move away from peat based compost has given rise to a
lot more varied products being used to bulk up the bags. The fungus is commonly
found growing on dead leaves, compost piles and decaying vegetation and are all
now being used in potting compost. It’s
generally harmless but can cause serious problems if too many spores get into
the lungs. The spores could lead to allergic reactions, asthma attacks and
hayfever-like symptoms
New Zealand and Australia have both a large gardening
community and have historically used wood-based potting mix. In more recent
years the UK and Ireland has moved away from peat-based mixes to wood-based
ones to save peat lands. Along with this change, came an increase of disease
from potting mixes. In North America, the commercial bags of potting media are
still predominantly peat-based and research has seen fewer cases of the
disease. The research doesn’t take products such as coir compost into
consideration though as a peat substitute.
Warning Labels
A British study found
that 4 of 22 brands of potting soil contained L. longbeachae. Some individuals who
have suffered, either directly or indirectly are calling for warning labels to
be put on products that could potentially cause the disease.
Australia and New Zealand have had labelling regulations in
place since 2003 and 2005 respectively. Labelling has not resulted in a decline
of the disease and like me, most customers completely ignore the labels anyway.
There have been a few cases linking L. longbeachae to
gardeners, so backed up with fact and some scaremongering it’s unclear which is
which. It’s probably in our interest to take a few precautions with the bags of
compost when opening. I’ll have a facemask handy now when I slice the bag open and
then dampen it down with some water before mixing. I’ll also damp down the wire
wool.
Apart from that, it’s business as usual and no more thoughts
of a caravan in the wilderness.
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