Hi singing gardener I saw the pics you added on another post ( thanks for that) I did try your idea but it looked really messy as my diy skills are low, I had pipes all over the place and must admit I like the neater look. Good job on yours though 👍
@Greenfingers23. Fair enough! I'm lucky to have an OH who's a perfectionist and is happy to do any installation in the garden. He puts a lot of effort into making things look neat but the water butts are quite out of the way round the side of the house so it's not that important.
Rather controversially, I don't really think there is much point in most rain butts in dry areas like the south east of the UK. To make them worth it, you need to have a really large amount of storage. I have several butts with rain coming off large rooves, but they are pretty pointless. They are not needed in the winter and empty in the summer. There is about a week in March and October where they might be useful. I have ended up connecting a hose to mine and leaving the outflow left under recently planted trees. I never shut the butt taps off - whenever it rains, the trees get whatever there is.
In a small garden, where you don't have space to store many hundreds or thousands of litres of water, I would use the surface for compost bins instead. It's a better use of space.
you’re right @fire about how difficult it is to collect enough rainwater to be really useful. I wouldn’t be without mine but that’s because they are next to the greenhouse and that’s where the majority of water is used and as you say we have the space. We have four 330l butts and that just about keeps us going - I’m a tough love gardener. We use our washing up water for our pots (no space for a dishwasher) and that gives us about 6-8 gallons a day and is obviously a reliable supply. I don’t water my pots everyday even in very hot weather and thats enough to keep them all going (about 30 - dahlias, lilies, summer bedding and some herbs).
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Water butts are essential to me. Tap water isn't great for most plants and deadly for some. House plants shouldn't be watered from the tap as a general rule and quite a few of my house plants and greenhouse plants won't tolerate the chemicals. Ponds should also only be topped up with rain water. In the winter they're good for rinsing muddy boots and dogs after walks, rinsing any veg that's been picked, cleaning various garden things or washing the car if I ever get bored enough to do that. I use loads in the winter just cleaning and rinsing all the grit I use to top dress pots. So I'd argue that even the smallest butt can be a precious resource.
The problem is butt design and costs. They're either nice looking or discrete which means they cost so much that you'll never recoup the costs in saved water or they're cheap and ugly. I'd love to see more innovation in design, like ones that fit under benches and tables or big flat ones that could be hidden under decking and maybe form part of the structure but the costs would never be worth it.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham