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holiday watering systems recommendations

REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
in Problem solving
If I want to go on holiday this summer (with my husband) I am going to need to set something up to water things in my 100ft long garden, as our new cat sitter is unable to do this and I don't feel I can ask neighbours. (Daily watering often takes me an hour.) My husband is dead against me using mains tap water on a timer or drip system. (He is afraid something will go wrong and water will gush everywhere for the duration of the holiday - we are on a meter but obviously this would be bad anyway. I am trying to convince him otherwise but might have to work on the assumption that using the mains tap is off limits.) Have people had any success using water butts (without a pump)? 
It will mainly be pots of vegetables and flowers, and possibly two raised beds. I am hoping I can attach the quadgrows to extra tanks to deal with the tomatoes.
If only we could have gone somewhere in the next few weeks...
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  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I have used a mins tap with a battery powered timer for over 10 years. I put new batteries in at the start of the season.  It has never let me down, they are very reliable. 
    AB Still learning

  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    Do you use those with a water butt, @Allotment Boy ?
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    Battery powered timers are "fail to safe" devices. They need battery power to open and keep open the water valve and as soon as the power stops the valve closes. So if the batteries failed it would stay closed. The biggest problem would be a leaking joint somewhere in the plumbing after the timer which stops the water getting where you want it. Running any watering system for a few weeks before relying on it for holiday duty is a must. That lets you check that all joints are secure and that drippers are delivering the right amount of water.
    Getting enough pressure from a water butt can be a problem unless you have a big height difference between butt and pots. There are solar powered pump and timer systems available which might be worth a look - https://www.irrigatia.com/

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I use mine with a mains tap.  
    I concur with everything  said by @steephill.  Always check the system thoroughly before going away. 
    AB Still learning

  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    I don't think I can persuade my husband re using the mains. Plus even our hose pipe seems to drip when connected to the tap, espeically when the hose pipe is turned to the off position (I left it in this state for several days by mistake earlier this week :o ) even though I have tried different connectors. We may need a new tap... I need to investigate.
    I had looked at those solar powered pumps but I would need several and can't really justify the expense... especially as lots of reviews say they fail after a month.
    I certainly plan to try anything out in advance. No holiday planned as yet anyway.
    I have ordered something from Greenhouse Sensation that claims to work with a water butt without a pump. I guess I shall see.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited May 2022
    @REMF33 - your outdoor tap may be leaking from the gland nut. It's very easy to fix (lots of You Tube videos) - even my DIY-hating husband was able to do it in less than 10 minutes.... It may be leaking if the tap is on but the hosepipe is off because of a build up of pressure around the nut.

    I have found Gardena tap and hose connectors to be superior to Hoselok and even better than some of the brass connectors tried over the years. I suspect the Gardena micro-irrigation kit is better too. If there are fresh batteries in when you go away I've never known a timer controller fail. 

    You don't say why your cat sitter can't water the pots etc but - if you were to rig up the irrigation system without a timer - would (s)he be able to go out and turn on the tap(s) and leave it for half an hour (whatever) to water and then go out and turn it off?

    The advantage of that is that it's minimal work for the cat sitter and (s)he can decide whether or not the pots and beds need watering. A traditional auto-irrigation system will still water even if it's been hammering down for the last 3 days. You can buy smart controllers to operate yourself from a smart phone but I've not really looked at those.

    I'm not convinced you'll be able to irrigate reliably from water butts. What happens if they run dry or debris collects in the pump?

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    Thanks. Will look into that. I have a Gardena hosepipe. Will check to see if that's the connector I am using.

    re using a tap, though, it's more a question of convincing my husband than me, and I can't convince him. He obsessively takes hosepipes off the tap. (I have a 4 way connector and have been soaked many a time not realizing he's done this!)
    But perhaps if I set if up and leave it running for a while, and he sees it's ok, then he will agree.
    Re the cat sitter, she is not here for half an hour. I don't want to be rude about her (she is lovely) but I don't think she would be happy with anything remotely complicated.

    This all said, I have a 100ft garden with plants at the very top and at the bottom, some of which will be awkward to move, and I can't keep them all permanently at the top. I don't think I can run water from the tap to water everything, realistically? So I need to pursue the water butt option, for the raised beds, at the very least. (Although they would probably be ok unless we had a heat wave.)

    I wouldn't have thought the water butts would run dry if I top them up before I go, and I won't be away for more than a week. Quadgrow claim you can leave tomatoes for two weeks with their 30l tanks per 4 tomatoes. Now I know this isn't true in the height of summer but I would have thought 220l or so water would be enough to keep quite a few  plants going for quite a few days.

    This is the hard thing to trial, of course, as my plants will be bigger by the time I go away (if I do!) and one cannot control the weather.

    I can ask my gardener to come mid week to check things and water them too (I think. He's new tom me too...)

    What I really need is a strap cashed teenager to come and do this! I might just email the street. Or maybe I should set up a garden watering business...
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    If you know the cat sitter wouldn't be happy to do it - fair enough - but it would be nothing more complicated than turning the tap on, leaving it for the desired length of time and then turning it off (ie effectively doing what a controller does) - no need to be mucking about with the irrigation system itself. If nothing else works even putting the tap on twice a day for 10 minutes while she feeds the cat and washes the bowls would work.

    The gardener might be your best option though. A thorough watering (pay him extra!) once a week will probably be enough to see things through.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    I'd rather not ask the cat sitter. It would add another layer of faith for my husband to accept...

    I don't think one watering will be enough for things in pots, alas.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @Allotment Boy What kind of irrigation system do you use? I would love details. Thanks
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