Gardening in a drought

subjecttocontract

-taff said:

Yes but that depends on whether or not you have a water meter....

In my area water charges are less than £0.028 pence a gallon ( or around half a penny a litre).

Working_Mum

I am going to get a second water butt. It's probably too late to do much this year, but it will help for next summer I suppose. Actually I might get two - I think I can link one to my existing but and could fit a small one to the shed downpipe. Any good deals at the moment? The water company used to sell them cheap but they don't seem to do that any more.

There is now some rain forecast here. Typically, it's over the Bank Holiday weekend but at least it will be a welcome drink for the plants and a chance to top up my supplies. I am wondering whether it's worth leaving my buckets on the patio to catch some rain. I can't imagine I'll catch much but it all helps I suppose. 

This thread has made me stop and think about my non-garden water consumption. I have started topping up my water butt with the water I've normally wasted i.e waiting for the hot water to get hot, handwashing, water from vases of flowers etc. In the words of the big shop every little helps.

I've also started to use a washing up bowl to wash up - I hate them but think it makes a lot of sense given the potential drought situation we're in.

-taff

You can look for waterbutts on gumtree, faceboook marketplace, ebay, freegle, freecycle etc..You can link up any old thing [ I used to have four blue barrels in a row] but be careful of mozzies, supposedly a piece of copper pipe in the bottom will stop them appearing, it's definitely made them less [ I've tried it].There are lots of online choices, some quite expensive, but anything can be a waterbutt if you're not fussy and can hide it. It doesn't even have to be very big. I have a slimline one outside by the porch and it's not really noticeable or maybe I've just stopped noticing it.

When it rains, if your barrels are not empty, turn the lids upside down they can catch more water, fit downpipes to your greenhouse ends [ they sell kits online or you can fiddle yourself one with some silicone and plastic if you're handy] , place buckets near anything that drips in the rain, fit guttering to sheds etc. None of this solves your immediate problem but it will help in the future

pfpf

well well (pardon the pun). i remember reading yesteryear that dehumidifier water was no good for any use other than flushing away.
iv'e wasted so much water that i could have used on plants? both indoor and out? completely safe?

-taff

...yep.....

Brie

I'm not allowed to use dehumifier type water or accumulated ice in the freezers for plants as him indoors saves it for his humidor.  Cigars before clematis apparently.

I did get a FREE water butt from my water company a couple of years back - good to check if that's possible in your area.  I was told that it might take 13 weeks but in fact it arrived in less than 2 and had everything needed to set it up in line with one that was already there.

TheBanker

pfpf said:

well well (pardon the pun). i remember reading yesteryear that dehumidifier water was no good for any use other than flushing away.
iv'e wasted so much water that i could have used on plants? both indoor and out? completely safe?

When I was a kid, my mum said you couldn't use dishwater on the plants because the detergent would kill them. So I never have. But it seems it's fine so I have also wasted much water over the years! 

My tactic is to rotate the different types of water (rainwater, dishwater, dehumidifier, run-off from hot taps/shower etc) around the plants. My totally unscientific theory is that if something is going to cause a problem, it won't have much of an effect if it's just one drink. 

Pixie_Cosmo

I use Ec0ver to wash up, it's supposed to be harm free to the watercourses. Guess that would make the water ok to use in the garden?

Reading this thread with interest. I've just gone on to a water meter, and installed a water butt. Good tips re shower water etc, thanks :-) 

silverwhistle

My water butt is going down fast so I use the contents where it benefits most: hydrangeas, blueberries and tender seedlings. Like others I need to run the tap before use and that goes in a tub by the back door and is used later. Under my butt tap is a builders tub and if rain is expected that gets filled, but have to watch out for mozzies. Obvious sources like water from salad washing are all utilised.

As I live alone I do the yellow mellow bit, which is partly due to my water meter but also I live in a water stressed area and would also like to help maintain the health of my local stream off the Downs.

Savvy_Sue

I believe soapy water (ie from washing up) is good if you've got blackfly on your broad beans (or elsewhere).