The only impermeable, soil-free part of our garden today (taken from indoors!)
Even if you don’t live in the UK you may have heard that we are having a very wet winter here. It’s been raining for a couple of months… we have had some short dry periods, but every two of three days the jet stream delivers a new low pressure cell to us with associated wet and/or windy weather. Some parts of the country, like Somerset and the Thames valley, are suffering from flooding, whilst many of us are just very wet. Chez Snail is on a hill, but our garden is currently a stream, with water flowing off the field behind and both down our drains and into next door’s garden. Today we also have a red warning for high winds, meaning there is a risk of structural damage. I am certainly not going out and about and I will be trying to dissuade Mr Snail-of-happiness from going to his Chinese class tonight because driving conditions are currently described as ‘dangerous’. At least we are safe and dry and in our own home, unlike so many folks right now.
In the face of this sort of extreme whether, it’s easy to feel disempowered and useless. However, whilst all we can do at the moment is batten down the hatches, I do think that it is important to remember that everyone can take small steps to improve our situation in the long-run. If we act collectively, we can make a difference to our environment.
Whether you believe in climate change or not (and remember that the vast majority of experts do) it is clear that we are all exposed to extreme weather in one form or another (my thoughts are also with those of you in Australia under threat of fire or tropical storms). So, what can we do? Well, as far as flooding or drought are concerned, we can help the environment by improving the soil. Soil that contains lots of organic matter acts like a sponge, whilst mineral-dominated soil has a much lower water-holding capacity and hard landscaping just leads to rapid run-off… delivering water in a fast, large pulse to those people further down the water catchment.
If you have a garden, therefore, caring for the soil – making it healthy and active and full of organic matter – means that you can create a little reservoir to hold water. This is not just good for people who live downstream from you, this is good for you. It means that you will have water stored in the soil ready for your plants to use in drier months… it may not be enough to last the summer, but it will help you along. It also means that if you do need to water your garden when it’s dry, more of the water will he held in the soil for your plants to use rather than just flowing over the surface or soaking straight through. Adding organic matter is quite simple if you make compost, although I have to confess that I could always use more of the stuff! There are all sorts of sources of organic matter, from wood to teabags, from weeds to paper and any of it can be composted to help your garden become a better sponge. Different materials require different approaches, but there’s lots of advice available if you look.
Our raised beds (photographed last summer) do not flood, hold lots of water and are really productive
In addition to acting like a sponge to hold water, organic matter in the soil sequesters carbon and thus keeps it out of the atmosphere where it acts as a greenhouse gas. And once you have a healthy soil, it will be much more productive – allowing you to grown a greater diversity of plants… all photosynthesising and thus also reducing the carbon in the atmosphere and being available to compost later and thus adding to your healthy soil. This is a virtuous circle with wide-reaching positive effects.
So, don’t feel you can’t make a difference – you can – and at the same time you can see the benefits right in your own back yard.
The Snail of Happiness 
cambridgearomatherapy
/ February 12, 2014Given that the Daily Mail seems to have been proved conclusively wrong on climate change, perhaps instead of delivering the bundles of them to newsagents they could be used instead of sandbags? And composted afterwards/used for mulching fruit trees of course!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014You may have hit on the perfect use for them!! Of course, perhaps just leaving them as trees in the first place would have been more valuable.
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katechiconi
/ February 12, 2014Australian soils are particularly poor and thin, and in this part of the world, very nutrient leached because of repeated flooding. We’ve been piling on the compost, and it has helped noticeably this Wet season; no standing water for days on end. I also use organic sugarcane mulch, which is very nutrient rich and rots down quickly. Being in cane country, it’s a cheap by-product too.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014Nice to hear that such practical action is working. A friend of mine is using chopped Miscanthus to good effect as a mulch and addition to his compost and speaks very highly of it.
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revdarkwater
/ February 12, 2014I love your two-word turn of phrase “virtuous circle.” Truly what is natural always is, and it’s so easy to cooperate, find one’s places in the circles.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014We hear too much about ‘vicious circles’, there should always be an alternative!
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Nice piece of work
/ February 12, 2014We have indeed heard, but there’s nothing quite like a picture to really bring the message home. It sounds miserable, so I hope everyone is sensible and takes care. Maybe Mr Snail could make chinese stir-fry for supper to substitute for missing his lesson?
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014What a great idea… he’s just e-mailed his tutor to warn her he won’t be there, so perhaps we’ll watch ‘The Last Emperor’ or the ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’ tonight too.
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davidprosser
/ February 12, 2014Yes, I doubt he’d get delivery of a Chinese with the forecast as it is. Looking at the top picture I’m wondering if you’re expecting Noah to stop by?
I hope things return to some kind f normality soon.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014It has at least stopped raining, but the wind is bad right now
xxx
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whiteravenfire
/ February 12, 2014I’m sat crocheting, and listening to the wind howling outside. Despite our evening walk being scuppered, I’m very appreciative to be safe and warm inside.
http://guywhocrochets.wordpress.com/
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2014Hope nothing gets blown away… I too am spending the evening with a hook!
Stay safe 🙂
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gentlestitches
/ February 12, 2014great post. We are pretty bad here in Victoria but optimistic the worst is over. Thanks for the encouragement and acknowledgement. I agree with you. 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 13, 2014Sometimes it feels like there is no end to it all, but I guess in a few months time we’ll still be here and doing our best!
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nerdinthebrain
/ February 14, 2014We’ve been composting since we bought our house, and I don’t seem to be able to make enough of the stuff to keep up with everything! Grace and I tried a cardboard box and straw garden (a strategy we learned about somewhere and thought would be a great thing to try with some of our boxes after we moved), but results have been less than spectacular. This year, I think I may buy some compost since I plan to start a rather large garden…that may help me along until I can generate enough to maintain my sponginess. 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 14, 2014Yes, I never seem to be able to make enough compost, but every little helps! My sister is making a lasagne bed in her new garden: alternating layers of paper/cardboard (lots left over from moving house), chicken poo (from the vacated hen house which looks like it has never been cleaned out – ugh!) and other plant matter/compost from round the garden. Fingers crossed it will work.
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