USING AND CONSERVING WATER

Water is a valuable resource and Stephanie Hafferty offers some tips on storing, using and reducing our need for it on our plots

- Stephanie Hafferty

With droughts likely to become more frequent in the UK, and the cost of domestic water increasing, it makes sense to try to save as much water as we can by storing it and keeping as much as possible in the soil.

Harvesting and storing rainwater is a cost-effective and easy way of saving water. During the summer months it is estimated that 30-60% of our domestic water is used in the garden. About 24,000 litres of water can potentially be harvested from an average-sized house roof, so it makes sense to save what we can.

There are many kinds of kits and water butts available to suit different spaces and budgets, and many come with fixings which attach them to different sizes of drainpipes. Water butt connectors are a cheap way of connecting multiple storage containers to one drainpipe.

You can upcycle old items including wooden barrels, metal containers and dustbins. I have seen charming dipping pools made from old metal baths; the sort in which people would bathe in front of the kitchen fire before indoor bathrooms. They can be as fancy or as homespun as you desire. If you have the space, try IBC containers which can hold 1000 litres of water.

Ensure that containers are covered to prevent creatures from falling in. If a lid isn’t practical, I use wire mesh over the top.

CHAIN WATER DIVERTERS

Metal chains attached to guttering, known as rain chains, are a beautiful way of diverting water into a container. You can use old pieces of chain or make (or buy) one of the decorative ones. These look gorgeous when it is raining and add an interesting musical dimension to your water harvesting.