Janet Manning’s Post

Thank you for the mention Sara Venn. It's not all about water butts. I've been volunteering at Edible Bristol since 2021 and it's a wealth of knowledge as well as a water efficient way to grow food. It's not just about horticulture but about community, inclusivity, diversity and all aspects of sustainability that I have learnt from Sara and her team. Sustainability is not just about carbon or water resources. We all have to change, at Edible Bristol the change they are making is growing local food, using rainwater, without pesticides, to share the food and the knowledge of how to produce it, with anyone. I'm privileged to be allowed to help with this. Storage for rainwater harvesting on allotments are a must, but the water holding capacity of the biggest reservoir we have, the soil, is often ignored. Understanding how healthy, deeply and naturally aerated, undisturbed soil works, is the key to climate resilience in gardens and allotments. And for those who like to see the maths, 52 000 litres of water are held in the top 30 cm soil, on an allotment space of 584 m2, at 30% water holding capacity of the soil. Because of the use of organic mulch and natural underlying clay soil, I think this is an underestimate. #waterwise Waterwise #Sustainability #mains2rains