Here comes summer!

Just heard some Summer weather predictions on Newstalk. The guy they were talking to, from Positive Weather Solutions says we can expect one of the 'best' (ie hottest and driest) summers ever! These are the people who accurately predicted that the euphemistically-named 'cold spell' would last until March. While this is welcome news on some levels, (good for tomatoes, bad for slugs...) particularly after the long run of washout summers we've had recently, bear in mind that reservoir levels are going to be pretty low. So now's the time to be thinking about rainwater conservation. Water-butts (sack the marketing people who thought that one up!!) are readily available at good garden centres and hardware stores, and are easy to fit to most modern downpipes.

You can link butts (stop sniggering!) together with a special kit in case one is full and you want to increase your storage. But be creative - if you can be sure that they haven't been used for hazardous materials, any large, sealable, container can be used. If you have the space for it, an IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container - or in 'Irish', the huge big square yokes the farmers use!) - pictured at the top of this post - is ideal. The seal is important to reduce evaporation and very importantly, to prevent insects laying eggs in it.

And if you're leaving home for a while, (and think about an Irish holiday before you go anywhere else - or if you're reading this from outside Ireland) don't forget to get someone to keep an eye on the garden, and harvest anything that ripens while you're away. You might even train some of the more responsible neighbourhood children in the ways of watering, and other summer garden jobs and help get the next generation of gardeners started.

It might seem weird to be talking about this now, but by the sounds of the predictions, it could be a great summer for growing with a bit of forward planning. And don't forget to protect your skin when you're enjoying the weather!