Severe drought in Spain

Hola Permies!

I'm feeling sad.  I've been away from home for a week (we live on the East Coast of Spain), and I've just looked around the garden.  So much has died in just that one week.

While I was away there were temperatures up to nearly 40°c.  Our village, and the surrounding ones, had severe drought restrictions put in place, and yesterday a fire broke out nearby, (now controlled thankfully) but the helicopters were dipping into our water reserve with their huge buckets to put out the fire.

I'm trying to grow a food forest.  My fruit trees should be getting taller and throwing shade to allow things below to grow in comfort.  I mulch thickly all the time.  I have a rainwater deposit but it's almost empty as we've had no rain.  I've built a kitchen greywater system, but it's also dried out (tomatoes, mint, lavender, curry plant, ginger, all dead or nearly dead) because we're only allowed minimal water use (if there is any water coming out of the tap at all!)

I'm at a loss.  I'm trying to build soil/mulch/succession planting/native plants/drought tolerant plants etc  etc... but when it's this extreme, I really don't know what to do.

Words of support and wisdom would be gratefully received!

Helen

I share your pain...

September 2023



October 2023



Please share my hope!

July 2024

Thank you!!!

That does help!

I'm currently digging deep to find where my resilience is hiding...  that's why this community is awesome, sometimes we need reminding that how it is today, is only a snapshot.  Tomorrow will be different.

I hope you have an abundant day!

Helen

Hey Helen.
We have had 3 years of drought here in the south. This spring it finally rained sufficiently. What a marvelous landscape sprang to life…
I’m crossing my fingers for you guys in the east that this autumn you’ll get some rainfall, I know how much you need it.
Best of luck and best wishes.

Helen, I think we all have wondered how we would make it with long and dry seasons.  I will keep you in my heart and send you good thoughts.

As with many things, One Day At A Time!  You can and will make it to better days!


Peace

Hey Benjamin,

Thank you for that, I really hope it will be our turn soon!  That was a lovely mental image to keep hold of, with the landscape responding to being given water.  I'll hold onto that!

Buena suerte!

Helen

Hi Deane,

That was absolutely why I posted... this already feels easier knowing that there are very many of us permies, facing the same challenges and still keeping going.  I don't feel so alone.  Thank you for your thoughts and hope!

Peace

I am sorry that you lost a lot of plants while you were away.

In the past I have had to be away from home for funerals, weddings, etc.

Ollas can be very helpful to protect you plants so if planing to be gone for a long time use big ollas.

Another trick is to place buckets of water with rope to your plants.  This will wick the water to the plants.

Here is a thread that I did that has several suggestion for how to get water to plants in a drought situation:

https://permies.com/t/138768/Water-Plants-Trees-Drought-Conditions

Hi, Helen.
I'm in Malaga. I won't post pictures of our garden since I don't want to bring you to tears. Even fig trees are falling.

Instead, I will talk about what is thriving with no irrigation at all.

* Carobs.
* Olive trees (but few olives this year)
* Moringa oleifera
* Plecthrantus barbatus (boldo brasilheiro). This one seems to take humidity from the air. It suffers on dry air days.
* Plumbs (prunus domestica). Just one of them, the one with more mulch.
* Vitis vinifera. They had their grapes in early summer.
* Ziziphus jujuba. The one with good mulching is faring better.
* Rhamnus alaternus. Good for under-canopy shade.