hazchem writes

MaggieW wrote:
Hi there Andrew,

There is a hosepipe ban in my area, South London. I do not want to be
carrying lots of water in watering cans. Can I please get some advice
on which vegetables need the least amount of watering.

I'm only a beginner gardener (about 6-7 years), so don't know what rules
are on allotments. But the ones I've seen around Liverpool quite often
have flowers as well as veggies. If you have sufficient veggies for
your needs, why not grow some flowers?

Good idea, but there is a rule that no more than 20 per cent of the
area can be used for flowers.

But what is a flower? Let's assume they mean 'plant grown for ornamental
purposes' since they I doubt whether they're really saying that 80 per
cent of your plot should be root and leaf crops and you can't have more
than 20 per cent beans, peas, courgettes and other crops which have to
flower before you get anything to eat

Rose hip syrup?
Elderflower cordial, elderberry jam?
Comfrey for use as fertiliser - good invasive stuff, shouldn't be much
trouble once you've got it going.

General advice is that perennials will have less need of watering than
annuals, since they have time to get their roots well down (encourage
this by watering well when you plant them, and a few more times to
establish f they need it, but avoid frequent gentle watering that only
wets the top inch or so and encourages roots to the surface. Dig a hole
with a stick after you've watered and see how far down you got - it can
be revealing! 'Planting' a short bit of pipe next to the plant gives a
good way of directing water down below)

Most veg are annuals. Water the seed drill well before sowing, then
water only when it looks necessary. Again, water heavily and
infrequently not little and often. Concentrate on when the plant needs
it, eg to swell pods.

--
Kay