New Gardener

M.L · March 2022

I have an old plastic water butt which hasn't been used for years. the water came out clear so I watered my veg trug before planting some seeds. Have I contaminated all the earth and seeds as the water is old? Will I have to throw away all the earth in the container? I also watered some chard growing in another container with the same water and now am worried that I may have contaminated this veg and soil.

Fairygirl · March 2022

Very doubtful that there's any problem.

If there was any distortion on plants that you've watered with it, you'd soon see it.

M.L · March 2022

thank you Fairygirl. I was worried about ecoli? any thoughts on that

Fairygirl · March 2022

I would doubt it, but I don't use water butts as we really have no need for them here.
Someone else may be able to advise on that.
When I did have one, many, many years ago, it filled too quickly, so Ididn't bother

philippasmith2 · March 2022

It's quite often a better idea to water seeds with tap water rather than rain water. Once they are up and growing rain water is fine.
If your old water butt was covered and the water was clear, I wouldn't worry - in fact it may well have been better than some region's tap water

I wouldn't pretend to know what may have been in your water butt - doubt it was ecoli tho so you shouldn't worry about possible contamination on that score.

M.L · March 2022

Thank you phillippasmith the water butt is covered but the drainpipe hole is quite large.
If any soil becomes contaminated by water, do you know if that eventually disappears or not?

Fairygirl · March 2022

I think you're worrying unnecessarily

philippasmith2 · March 2022

I agree with @Fairygirl - when you stop to consider what MAY be in the atmosphere and will mix with rain which will fall on your garden - veg included, you would never step outside from one year to the next

Water won't contaminate your soil or your plants and using your own collected rainwater ( particularly for your veg which is what seems to be worrying you ) is probably a darn sight better than purchasing veg from a SM which may well have been treated with all sorts of rubbish. Your veg will undoubtedly taste better too as well as giving you a sense of satisfaction when you harvest it.
Keeping your water butt covered is essential but that is mainly to keep out Mosquitos, Slugs and the like. A filter on the down pipe will also lessen the risk of moss or other debris being washed down from a roof/gutter into the butt.
There are 1 or 2 threads on this forum which discuss rain water collection which you may find useful.

M.L · March 2022

Thank you both. Yes I am worrying too much. My son said the same. It was just the water had been in the butt for years.

nick615 · March 2022

Over about ten years I piled up grass mowings on a troublesome boundary area. It completely nuked all the weed growth, but we then needed to 'tidy' that area up so I collected it all and filled a number of blue farm barrels with it. Some let rainwater in, others didn't, but a few weeks ago I decided to empty them all and use their contents to hold back weeds and feed the plot. The wet stuff is beautifully decomposed and the dry will be crumbled up to fill parsnip holes when I plant them. I have every confidence that it will only improve the soil and improve results too. One final snippet from my Fifties Biology lessons is that rainwater is actually very diluted Nitric Acid, it absorbs Nitrogen as it falls.

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