Hydrology of a vegetable raingarden and implications for vegetable growth

Raingardens are systems engineered to both filter pollutants from urban runoff and regulate runoff rates, with the potential to reduce urban stormwater impacts on waterways. Raingardens also have considerable value as rainwater harvesting (i.e. water-saving) devices, and as ?green features? in urban landscapes. As such, the construction of raingardens and other biofiltration (or bioretention) systems has been actively promoted in several of the world's cities, including Melbourne. In late 2008, Melbourne Water introduced a community-focused ?10,000 Raingardens? initiative, which primarily encourages homeowners to actively manage urban stormwater through the building of raingardens and other WSUD treatments. Its long-term aims are to reduce degradation of Melbourne's waterways associated with urban runoff, such as the delivery of excessive nitrogen (Taylor et al., 2005), and to provide passively irrigated green features for both residential gardens and the city's public spaces.