|
Did you know that rainwater is much better for garden plants than
tap water ?
Rainwater is also better for garden ponds and other garden aquatics
such as bird baths, and is free and easy to collect in a water butt.
Obviously there is some initial investment required to buy and install
the water butt. However, the cost is generally very low and some local
councils make
them available at discounted prices - it's worth phoning your local
council to ask about any schemes they run. Also try your local water
company as many water companies are offering low-cost water butts
and other water-saving products to their customers (e.g. Thames
Water, South-West
Water, Yorkshire
Water, and Wessex
Water).
Now that the sun is out again, plants are growing fast, and the garden
is coming alive, we're thinking about making the most of our garden
during the summer months. This has already involved some garden centre
extravagance as the time came to plant new summer bedding plants. They
have also required a large amount of water to establish them well.
This got us thinking about the possibility of installing one or more
water butts.
The advice we found about this is as follows:
- Select a downpipe around which there is plenty of room
to stand a water butt close by.
- Cut the downpipe at the desired height and
fit a diverter (usually supplied with the water butt).
- Ensure the
butt is on a water butt stand or firm base - ideally
above the ground so that you can get a watering
can under the tap easily (so check the size of your watering
can).
- Make sure your water butt or any other collection
vessel has a secure,
childproof lid. This is to protect children, and also to
prevent
debris and mosquitoes
from entering the water butt.
Do try to save water over the coming hot summer months, and ...
Happy
Gardening !
|
