When the Rain Doesn't Come

I’m finding it hard to get the oomph to write this because it’s too hot; the only thing I actually want to do is slip into the sea for a dip, followed by a snooze in a shady spot. But vegetables don’t grow themselves and garden updates don’t write themselves, so I’m knuckling down and cracking on. Actually, vegetables sort of do grow themselves, but if we want them to be as healthy and abundant as possible, then they definitely appreciate a fair bit of help.

As I type this, I feel I drew the longer straw, as poor Matty is out in full sun trying to attach bird-proof netting to the tomato tunnel as the birds love having a little peck of the ripe fruits. Who can blame them? Our tomatoes are DELICIOUS, even if I do say so myself.

It will probably come as no surprise to know that water (or the lack of it) is front and foremost in our minds here at Roots at the moment, closely followed by money (lack of) and weeds and rabbits (both in abundance!).

We’ve had almost no rain since early June, and that, combined with successive heatwaves, means we’re having to water almost constantly. Thanks to our amazing volunteers, I know just how much rain we’ve had recently. Every week, rainwater is collected in a rain gauge donated by Pen, a long-term volunteer, veg bag customer and (for full disclosure), my mum, and each Tuesday the amount is recorded by one of our dedicated rainfall monitors (a group including Eric, Gwyneth, Pam and Pauline). Because of this volunteer dedication, I know that since the 9^th June we have only had 16.5 mm of rainfall at Roots. That is less than half a millimetre per day.

We have 15,000 litres of rainfall storage capacity here at Roots, paid for by grants from South West Water, but the tanks have LONG since run dry. Because the water pressure here is low, to use our sprinkler system we need the pressure provided by the pump from our rainwater harvest tank, so we have to fill up the tank overnight, then use the sprinklers during the day. Then we repeat this process, day after day after day. It costs us around £30 to fill the tank, so this lack of rain is not only costing us time and effort, it’s also costing us a significant amount of money (that we don’t really have).

Seven years ago I sat in the street in London with thousands of other people who were worried that the government wasn’t taking the climate and ecological emergency seriously enough. I naively thought that once educated, middle-class people like myself showed they were prepared to be arrested because of this, the government would immediately realise the error of their ways and take all necessary steps to mitigate for the impending crisis.

Fast forward to today, and I sit here now because not only did they not take those steps that I felt were reasonable, but they actually took steps so that people like me could be sent to jail for just being at meetings discussing sitting in roads. So, realising that I couldn’t rely on those in power to do what was needed, I decided to get on and try to create the change I felt was needed. I was fortunate enough to have Matty, Manda and Nicky in my life, who all shared this drive, and so here we are today with Roots as a beacon of hope for how the world can be kind and fair and beautiful when we work together for the good of nature and (because we ARE nature) the good of each other.

The heat and lack of rain are a worry for us at Roots, but we must also find the joy in them, because joy and hope are what drive us on and give us the energy to keep working towards the future we want and need. So, midway through writing this, Marion and I nipped down for a dip in a still, clear blue ocean. What great fortune we have that this is something we can do, just like that! There are more butterflies at Roots than I’ve ever seen here before, the aubergines seem to be loving the heat, and I love aubergines, so that makes me happy, and I have remembered how much I love sitting outside in the evening with no jumper on, noticing the pleasure brought by the first tiny touch of chill from the breeze after watching another glorious sunset over the sea. I’m also hugely grateful for the Big Shed, which not only offers us shelter throughout the winter, but now also gives us respite from the sun, meaning we have a shaded, relatively cool space for our volunteers to work and rest in.

We really hope you’re all managing to stay cool enough and that you’re able to enjoy the sunshine. If you find yourself needing an injection of joy or hope, do consider joining us volunteering on a Tuesday (10am-4pm), Thursday evening (6am-8pm) or the first Sunday of the month (10am-2pm). More information on volunteering can be found here. Other ways to help us create the world we want to see include buying a weekly veg bag from us (getting to enjoy the aubergines yourself), and making a one-off or a regular donation (to help cover water bills!)