Building a water reserve

Just a thought of building water retention in your soil, do you cover your plot with plastic sheets for the winter?

A plastic sheet will provide protection against soil erosion in winter and possibly stem weed growth, but during this domant period it will also prevent rainfall filtering through the soil and building a much needed water reserve that will put it one step ahead to help combat warmer, drier conditions next year.

So do we cover up with plastic which is costly, becomes brittle and eventually ends up in landfill or use something which offers protection yet is permeable?

An inch or two covering of organic matter from your compost area is best but frequently unless you buy in a bulk load there is never enough.

Here's a couple of ideas to do the job which are mostly cost free.

Cover your plot beds if weedy or grassy with cardboard, bike boxes (free) are excellent for this, cut on one corner they open to cover 10x4ft of ground, cover this with one or two of the following options

1. Leaves (free).
2. Straw over the leaves to help keep them on place. Straw is about £5 a bale from farms.
3. Flower shop cuttings (free). Just ask your local florist, flower cuttings fill their waste bins which is a cost to them to be collected.
4. Any green waste your plot has produced (free).

If your beds are weed and grass free or can be easily hoed off there should be no need to use cardboard.

Over the winter months monitor and remove any weed growth, next spring remove anything remaining to your compost bins.