Water on the allotments

Text 1: Plot nine’s idea, by Dev Kapoor

An original contemporary article.

Our allotment site has twenty-six plots but a single water tank, and last summer it was empty by Thursday most weeks. Those who could only come after work found nothing left for their beans, which wilted in the heat. This year the committee drew up a watering rota: each plot holder has two set evenings, and the hose is limited to fifteen minutes per plot. Some people complained that they were being told how to garden. The bigger change came from Margaret on plot nine, who suggested collecting rain from the shed roofs into water butts. With six butts filling after every shower, the tank is now saved for seedlings, and nobody has carried cans from home since June.

Explain why plot holders who came after work had a problem last summer.