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Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Gardening

Hosepipe ban and veggie patch - what will you do?

17 replies

Chopstheduck · 15/03/2012 09:24

I dont remember hearing anything about a hosepipe ban last summer and was happily using a sprinkler to water my veggie patch. It will take HOURS to water it by hand every day. What do others do?

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OddBoots · 15/03/2012 09:30

We've got a fair bit in the water butt so will use that with a hose at least to start with, then it'll have to be by hand, although I do remember a few years ago it being said that you can fill a watering can from a hosepipe then water the plants with the can if your nearest tap was some distance away. I'm not too sure if that is technically in the rules though.

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Chopstheduck · 15/03/2012 09:50

Oh I will have to look into that, thanks! We don't have a water butt, and with how little rain we are getting I'm not sure it would have helped much neither.

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MrsMagnolia · 15/03/2012 19:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PattiMayor · 15/03/2012 19:49

Water butt, water from the condenser dryer, old bath/shower water. 'Grey' water is great in these situations - unless you take a massive bubble bath, you can use the water from your bath to fill your butt (the water one I mean :o). Also, keeping a bucket in the bottom of your shower is a really good way to conserve/reuse water.

And let's not forget the wonder that is mulch! A really well mulched bed will retain moisture loads better.

Oh god, sorry, this is reading like one of the crappy short articles I write for websites, am in the zone. You get my point though I hope

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Chopstheduck · 15/03/2012 19:53

Lol! How do I do mulch? Tumble drier is great idea, never thought of that! Don't do baths in pur house, unfortunately.

Mrsmagnolia,Thanks will bear that in mind. Last year I was growing in grow bags, so I prob won't need so much water now I have a proper patch, hadn't really thought about that.

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WynkenBlynkenandNod · 15/03/2012 20:02

I do the same as MrsMagnolia and things grow fine (plus I have more free time then my allotment neighbours who insist on watering).

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worzelswife · 15/03/2012 22:23

chops if you have showers could you still either put the plug in the bath to catch the water, or as someone suggested up thread, put a bucket in the shower to catch the water.

I believe gravel or mulch will seal in lots of the moisture so it doesn't need watering so much.

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Meglet · 15/03/2012 22:28

I find I need far less water now I have a tiny veg patch compared to when I grew things in pots. The plants can take a minimal amount of watering in hot weather, not like pots when everything keels over in a day or so.

I tip washing up bowl water on there and I usually dishwash stuff so it's not gallons of the stuff. Also have a water butt which I use sparingly and tie up so the kids can't run it out.

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UniS · 15/03/2012 22:32

I water by hand with rainwater collected in one of our 3 waterbuts. When the buts run short we use DS's bath water, salad rinse water, dregs from school waterbottles etc before resorting to the garden tap.
My neighbour with a BIG veg patch has a 5000l water store fed from the house roof, & uses an electric pump and sprinkler at night.

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Chopstheduck · 16/03/2012 08:00

Ideally I could really use a water butt. Thing is, we are in rented property and I think I would have to cut the downpipes to install one?

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MrsMagnolia · 16/03/2012 09:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Chopstheduck · 16/03/2012 09:21

I may ask the LL if she minds. we're on a 5 year contract in any case, so it prob is worth doing. I haven't actually told her that a chunk of her garden is now dug over but then I thought I'd either leave it for the next tenant, or turf it if necess.

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Freezingmyarseoff · 20/03/2012 23:57

This might be a really daft question but for those of you who use bath water, how do you transfer it to the garden. Do you simply use a bucket to scoop it out? I was trying to convince DH it was a good idea but he's not keen. We recently put new beige carpet in, the thought of traipsing up & down the stairs with buckets of water didn't seem to resonate with him!

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WynkenBlynkenandNod · 21/03/2012 06:48

I've ordered one of these wasn't from there and was £5 less so worth looking around.

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Freezingmyarseoff · 21/03/2012 19:17

Thanks, I'll have a look around for a cheaper one but at least I know there a solution.

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ameliagrey · 23/03/2012 07:34

I think quite a few people are not aware that you can use a hose pipe to fill watering cans.

You can't use the hose directly on your garden- or to wash a car- but you can fill buckets from an inside or outside tap and then use that water.

This is so people don't do silly things like putting a sprinkler on theri lawb for 24/7- but it should be perfectly possible to keep the average garden and veg plot ticking over- might take longer to water but you can use water!

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Chopstheduck · 23/03/2012 07:53

Er, I spoke to Veolia and the lady said that you most definitely cannot fill a watering can from a hosepipe, so that was out!

We applied for an exception for my son, who is disabled. He is now allowed to use a hosepipe! So it will be his job to water my veggies using the gun attachment over the summer.