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| Description | Download | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Rainwater tank sizing | tsv_rainwater_calculator-v1.xlsx | Can be used for initial estimates of water usage |
Townsville Climate
- Yearly monsoonal rains of varying strengths, with infrequent unreliable rain from storms in the summer
- Little to no rain remainder of the year
- Savannah type landscape. Grasslands with gums and acacia, though some suburbs are built on former mashes and wetlands
- Tropical humidity & heat in summer
- Mild winters, often not cold enough for cool flowering trees and shrubs
Townsville will get most of it's annual rain over three months, and usually in one large weather system such as a cyclone or rain bands. For the remainder of the year it's dry and arid and humidity drops after the summer months have passed. It could be said that Townsville climate is a mixture of the arid drylands and tropical landscapes. Techniques that apply to both these areas apply to Townsville. Use of a mixuture will benefit your garden.
- Water runoff collection and storage in tanks and in the ground using swales - being mindful of waterlogging in the heavier soil areas
- Selection of trees that don't require cold periods to flower, can tolerate extended dry times as well as high humidity in the wet
- Selection of smaller plants that can tolerate, or prefer high humidity in summer, and irrigated throughout the dry period
- Mulching and covering of soil when evaporation exceeds rainfall which is most of the year in Townsville
Kitchen Gardens in Townsville
- Winter months for traditional vegetables and fruits
- Summer months for Asian or non traditional vegetables and fruits
By far the most appropriate time for traditional European vegetables is during the dry low humidity periods of the year that extend usually from April onwards to November when humidity and heat is within a suitable band. Irrigation is necessary and the sun angle remains relatively high even through out the dry period of the year so no special orientation of beds or heat capture methods are necessary (usually). Many vegetables grow well during this time of year, pests and insects slow down, and most molds that will affect the plants in summer disappear. Your usual dry period diseases arrive, powdery mildews, Downey mildews etc.
Summer: Townsville suffers from the Fruit Fly which will sting most vegetables and fruits during the warmer months. Bean flies will attack beans, molds will attack all vegetables
