What to do if hosepipe ban?

[salilah]

Firstly - apologies if this has been covered before - I tried searching but can't seem to get the search engine to find messages with both "hosepipe" AND "ban"!

My greenhouse has a row of 20 tomato plants in a raised bed on one side, and around 15 chillis, 10 aubergines, 4 cucumbers and 2 melons in buckets on the other side. As I can't be there in the week, I have installed Hoselock timers (one each side) with a long hose with heavy drippers for the tomatoes (40mins a day) and thin hose with drippers in most of the buckets (in trays to catch the overflow and soak up)

This worked pretty well last year, I had a good crop - however I just started panicking as there is a strong likelihood of a hosepipe ban! Both my timers run from the hose from an outside tap - is this likely to be banned?

If yes, anyone got any bright suggestions? I'm somewhat concerned that I may end up losing my whole tomato crop - which with 18 varieties, many heirloom, would be very sad!!

Thanks lots
Salilah

[Snadger]

Surely a hosepipe ban is for people who set up a sprinkler in there garden or wash their car with an open hose , wasting water?
Your solution long term would be to get a couple of 1000ltr IBC's filled from the greenhouse roof and rig them to the hose. There should be enough presure for it to work.
I suppose if the rain isn't forthcoming to fill them initially they could be filled from a hose when there is no hosepipe ban?

[Two_Sheds]

I tried searching but can't seem to get the search engine to find messages with both "hosepipe" AND "ban"!

I found about 5 threads when I typed in hosepipe + ban

I can't post you a link though, it won't work

[Mulchkin]

We have 2 water butts near our greenhouse, so were thinking about one of these for when we go on holiday:

Hozelock Water Butt Container Kit - 2816

Might be worth filling up a water butt with the hose now as snedger suggests

[Mulchkin]

Ooops, snadger I mean!

[teakdesk]

Does this work ?

If it does it is what TS was trying to do !!



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[Sanjo]

We had a water meter fitted yesterday because when I enquired with our supplier whether I needed a permit to run my irrigation system I was told that I could only run it by having the water meter installed. I could, however, run a HAND HELD hose for as long as I liked which seems nutty to me as my system was on timers and for only a maximum of three to five minutes a day, and that included the greenhouse. If there is a hosepipe ban I assume that I shall not be able to use the irrigation system either which is a pain since we have just had the meter fitted.

[Ja9]

we might have a ban in the midlands tomorrow..so watering now...getting rather dark!

[Alison]

We had a ban last year, started just about the time it started raining . I looked into what we were and weren't allowed to do (it had been years since we last had one) and bizarely it was entirely OK to use a hose to fill up a tank but not to water directly from the hose.

Back to the original question, we don't have a water supply at the lottie and I water my 10' by 20' polytunnel by means of water butts which feed irrigation hose around the beds. This provides sufficient water when I'm not there (sometimes can't get up there during the week) and I then top up with the watering can when I can. Works very well but you do need to store quite a lot of water to cover dry periods which has been very difficult this year.

[Potstubsdustbins]

The problem I face when trying to answer is that Water Authority By Laws can and do change from area to area.

Here in Nottm during a ban (very likely at this time) you can use a hose to cater for livestock i.e. a fish pond but for very little else. Unless you pay for the water by metering as per Sanjo's post, then you can use it for almost anything apart from washing cars.

Colin

[bearded bloke]

They seem optimistic ................"A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “April has been very dry as was March. Water companies are not expecting to put any extra restrictions on public supplies."

Taken from .... Hosepipe ban warning as more dry weather is forecast - Telegraph

[Two_Sheds]

bizarely it was entirely OK to use a hose to fill up a tank but not to water directly from the hose.

That's because it is just too easy to waste water when you use a hosepipe: whereas with a tank you can see when it's 'full' ... people just underestimate how much water's coming out of the hose because there's no visible measure

[Rabidbun]

Am worried too - I can't lift watering cans properly (quarter full if that) at the moment as it pulls my back completely out (which will only get worse until after the wee one is born in September) and have been watering with a hose stuck inside a watering can so that it never gets heavy. Hope my food won't die.

[salilah]

Thanks all for some great suggestions! I'll investigate further
We are metered so perhaps that is an argument to get away with it??
Will post back if/when I get further info
cheers
Sali

[FoxHillGardener]

There was an article by Toby Buckland in Amateur Gardening a week or so back saying if you have an outside tap then get a separate water meter attached to it which is specific for outside use.

You pay a much lower rate on it than standard charges as you pay only for the supply of water, not for removal/ sewerage costs. I'm going to investigate this with Thames Water. Will let you know how I get on