Despite the shortage of water, gardening goes on.

Here are some examples of what people are doing.

Don is intent on growing raspberries. He loves to eat them and has the spot prepared.

The washing machine water goes on the lawn so he intends to use sink water.

By washing vegetables using a bowl which he can empty outside, he thinks he will have enough water, providing he mulches his raspberries and does not plant too many. He figures he will keep them moist enough.

He is planting six each of springcropping "Willamette" and autumn-cropping "Heritage".

Wendy has bought her mother two hanging baskets that will flower outside her window and will not require much water.

Emptying and rinsing out the teapot into them alternately will probably be sufficient, apart from the fact that tea leaves are rich in potash which will help flowering and provide mulch.

One basket is a low-growing variety of marguerite surrounded by light blue lobelias and the other is a low spreading convolvulus with bright blue flowers called C. sabatius, an Italian plant that excels in hot, dry conditions and trails over and around the basket.

The daisy bush is in a 25 cm plastic hanging basket to hold its moisture better while the convolvulus, which can be drier, is in a 30 cm wire basket with a coir liner.

Both were grown in a lightweight potting mix with moisture-retaining granules and extra peat moss.

Jo lives in Cobram and has a bore. His bore is 12 m deep and although the output is not large he says it allows him to keep the garden supplied.

He is raising his own tomato plants. He likes the variety "San Marzano", which has a large "Roma"-shaped fruit but thicker and more meaty, ideal for using to make tomato sauce.

He sows the seed in a small space in a seed raising mix and has a plastic arrangement he places over them at night for frost protection.

He is also raising early zucchini plants from seed sown in jiffy pots, small compressed peat pots that are easily kept damp and planted out when the plants are large enough.

He likes the variety called "Milan Nigra" sold by SantAgata seeds.

George has a rural property with a water right. He is planning a large garden development and, at present, is still laying it out.

This interest is intensely important to him and has been several years in the making.

His main concern now is how it will appear to others in his community.

What will others think when they see him using scarce water on his new garden?

So he has decided to delay his planting for 12 months to see how things develop.

Quite apart from the crops and stock, the next two to three weeks are critical for a lot of people for a whole host of different reasons.

Let's pray that it rains.

- John Holder

Shepparton Garden Centre