LAST month, I was waxing lyrical about the welcome arrival of frogspawn in our two ponds.

Now, with the south being declared a drought zone, I am more concerned that we get enough rainfall to keep the ponds topped up during the spring and summer months as the tadpoles develop.

Tap water should only ever be used as a last resort in a wildlife pond and the rainwater collected in the water butts might well become a scarce resource, but my amphibious friends will not be forgotten.

April is the month for fevered sowing and planting of allotment staples (parsnips, carrots, spinach, onions and potatoes etc), but they all need a certain amount of water for germination and to get growing. I have tried to time the sowings just before a forecasted shower but then very sudden showers are not good for tiny seeds either as they can be washed away in a second. This is where I am hoping the heavy mulch of composted manure I left on the beds in winter will have helped the soil retain water but I am also thinking ahead and planning some water conservation measures.

Potatoes are thirsty crops and a good soaking once a week is better than small dribbles of water.

Keeping the soil weed free will be an advantage as weeds compete with precious crops for moisture.

Large patches of unsown or unplanted bare soil is not a good idea and I shall make sure I have some annual green manure crops such as Fenugreek or Phacelia to hand to temporarily cover.

Vegetables such as courgettes and winter squashes are hungry for water and filling the planting hole with water will get them off to a good start, so I am busy collecting sturdy empty plastic bottles to act as irrigators. Cut-off milk cartons work well too. Push the bottle or carton into the soil next to the plant and this ensures that water gets to the roots. Bits of broken hosepipe pushed into the soil work well too.

On the plus side, herbs from the Mediterranean such as oregano and thyme will positively thrive.