Pond water level

Apart from high winds, we've had a lot of heavy rain recently, which can be good, to an extent obviously...

It's always great to know ponds, water butts and water troughs around the site are filling up before the growing season gets going. Wind can be really bad for drying out plants and the seedlings in the greenhouse need watered regularly.

The allotment committee generally only turns the water on at Easter, which can be a long wait in a dry spring. Water butts run out more quickly than you'd think (collecting water with water butts is like home composting - it's good practice but you never get enough!), and green manure seeds sometimes need a splash to get going in windy dry weather.

Last year, it was also agonising to watch frogspawn dry out on pebbles when water levels went down. That's why it's so important to get rain while we can...