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Every Garden Needs a Water Butt
(or two)
This is one of my pet subjects as I'm constantly
reminded how useful they are - and plants prefer rainwater too. I've one
large one that gets filled from the garage roof at the top of the garden,
and another couple of plastic barrels at the bottom of the garden that
fill from small shed roofs.
I rarely have to use any mains water on my assorted
containers, containerized plants, and establishing shrubs and perennials.
The butts/barrels fill up when it rains and the plants are naturally
watered, and then during the next dry spell, the butt/barrel empties. It
usually works out that it rains again just in time as my rainwater supply
runs out.
Don't use the rainwater for seedlings or cuttings
though. There
is invariably some contamination in the butt even though lids keep most
of it out and you may well introduce spores of fungi or bacteria that
while older plants can easily shrug them off, younger ones may get ill.
The ones at the bottom of the garden are especially useful as I
don't have to carry water any more than necessary - and I can never be
bothered with a hose, too much trouble if put away, or too in your face if
conveniently and permanently attached to the side of the house.
If you do install a water butt, I'd strongly recommend using run-off from an out building
or shed as I do.
Down-pipe diverters from the house never seem to work well for long
(maybe I've seen the wrong type).
Avoid the classic mistake of the
tilting water butt by making sure there is an overflow that channels water
away and that excess
water doesn't just fall next to the butt.
My overflows are led down to ground level by a pipe and then a short
3-4 foot piece of drainpipe (black, and hidden in the undergrowth) takes
the water away from under the foundations of the butt. In a previous
garden I was even more organized and the overflow led into the sunken plastic
liner of a bog-garden, so making sure it received more than its fair share
of water - it all helps! Above all, get the largest
one/s you can afford and as many of them as is
sensible |
Harcostar
Child Safe Water Butt
Magnum Barrel
Harcostar
Space Sava Water Butt
Italianate
Water Butt