Water good idea...!

[Chuffedas]

Hi everyone,
good thread.
I was wondering about diverting shower water too.
Last year we had rain north east south and west of us, but none on us.
I was thinking that if I get the right shampoo, there shouldnt be a problem.
Am I forgetting anything? Will it affect the ph of the soil or anything?
Does anyone know if there is a properly natural shampoo that won't damage the veg?

[Two_Sheds]

What about soap and shampoo residue. Does it not harm the plants?

Nope. I've been doing it for 4 years now, no problems. You obviously can't store the bath water (it's going to have bacteria in)

Does anyone know if there is a properly natural shampoo ?

Look in any health food shop, but expect to pay double (they aren't sold in mass volume like the Elvive type ones are). Or, you can of course use Ecover washing up liquid for your hair, it's very gentle.

(In the olde dayes there only used to be one type of soap, and it was used to clean everything: body, hair, clothes, dishes ...)

[arpoet]

How long does it take to empty the bath, T/S? and do you get enough pressure to connect to a hose pipe?

I pump my bath water out onto the back garden using this: Buy WaterGreen Bath Siphon from Wiggly Wigglers It's brilliant

I also have 4 water butts at home, all linked together

On the lotty I have 5 water butts linked together too, but that soon goes - they're nearly empty now despite my frugality. I water drills when I'm sowing and planting, and I mulch as many crops as possible with wet newspapers held down with soil. I then water into empty Morrisons buckets, but only if it's really dry

[Newton]

Last year before the north west hosepipe ban was introduced we filled the children's paddling pool to the brim......the water lasted several weeks and fed my tomatoes brilliantly. It also kept getting filled up by all the rain!

[King Carrot]

I pump my bath water out onto the back garden using this: Buy WaterGreen Bath Siphon from Wiggly Wigglers It's brilliant

You can siphon with an ordinary hose pipe down into the garden as long as you have an outside tap in your garden.

What you do is put one end of your hosepipe in the bath you wish to empty, best weigh it down on the bottom of the bath as it's important it doesn't break the surface during the siphon as air getting into the hose will stop it.

Down in the garden connect the other end of the hose pipe to the garden tap and then turn on the tap. Water will go down the hose towards the bath pushing any air out of the hose - the hose in the bath will bubble until all the air is out of the hose.

When the hose has stopped bubbling into the bath turn off the tap in the garden, disconnect the hose and you have your siphon, just put the end of the hose where you want the water.


If you haven't got an outside tap you could always try the old way of sucking the hose.

[Hans Mum]

we've got IBC Containers dotted across the allotment site & i've just connected one onto my shed they hold a 1000ltrs and are only 1mtr2 in size. The ones on site linked to harvest rainwater from larger areas of roof such as the communal shed & gazebo. I'm hoping not to have to use tap water at all except for tiny seedlings.

[planetologist]

(In the olde dayes there only used to be one type of soap, and it was used to clean everything: body, hair, clothes, dishes ...)

Maybe it's an urban legend, but I've heard it said that Albert Einstein shaved with soap from a bar, ..., said that having two kinds of soap was too complicated.

I also have an IBC tank. It's up on some pallets and just under the gutter, so I can water the garden by gravity. Last year, when it didn't rain for two months, it did run dry, but otherwise it works great.
martin's Site - 2010

[Mikey]

I have two water butts on the allotment one with a weak nettle soup, and the other just water. They are both fed naturally from the sky, as I don't have a shed. I don't use the tap at all, I water in all my new seedlings but once they are established they have to fend for themselves. The only time I relent is if there is a really dry spell and I have fleshy produce on the go. These will then get watered after sunset to ensure the roots get all the benefit of the moisture.

I'm a firm believer that in order to create a good root systems your plants need to go in search of water not be constantly supplied from above. This just creates very shallow widespread roots not deep robust ones, which can stand up to the elements.

I think the real test is in how you feed the ground before your crop. For hungry feeders like runner beans I always dig a compost trench. It holds moisture and feeds the plants even during a height of the summer.

[Two_Sheds]

How long does it take to empty the bath, T/S? and do you get enough pressure to connect to a hose pipe?

I don't use a spray hose, anyway the flow is more of a steady seep - I leave the end in a sink hole (empty flower pot sunk in the soil). I guess the bath empties in less than an hour... I've never timed it, as I'm off doing something else while it empties

If you haven't got an outside tap you could always try the old way of sucking the hose.

With the siphon kit I've got, you don't need to suck - you just squeeze the bulb pump a dozen times and then it starts pumping the water out


I have a long hose on it, with a ribbon loop at the top end (so I can keep it suspended from the bathroom window catch all summer).
The business end is weighted down in the bath by a brick, which lives under the sink when not in use. It's all very simple, but extremely effective

In fact, my primulas are wilting after a hot day, so I'm off for a bath right now

[JamesM]

Last year before the north west hosepipe ban was introduced we filled the children's paddling pool to the brim......the water lasted several weeks and fed my tomatoes brilliantly. It also kept getting filled up by all the rain!

We tried that but every time i looked out the window there was a cat ready and waiting to have a bath in it so paddling pool days were save for really hot ones and the garden got a thorough soaking

[Two_Sheds]

Cat ... bath ...?

Those two words don't go in the same sentence

[roitelet]

I use soaker pots for things like lettuces and cabages. A large terracotta pot with the hole closed up sunk in the ground and filled with water. They need a lid of some sort. The water soaks out slowly through the porous pot and gives the plants a constant supply of water. I use 12" pots and they last about a week before needing to be refilled.

[chris]

Great idea roitelet (wow that's a difficult name to spell ) Do you sink them near hungry crops (squash/courgettes etc) or just leafy crops?

[chris]

In answer to Hollys thread though, I bought the book 'Gardening without water' as recommended in this thread: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ter_43298.html - really explains the basics of mulching, collecting water etc. Although quite basic, using some of the techniques in it and mixing them with advice from here last year I watered a sqft gardenging bed with two crown prince in it and various other thirsty crops about 3 times.. 1 when planting in, and a couple of times when we had extremely dry periods...

[LittleShamrock]

Growing all my veg in containers means I will have to be on top of the watering, I've got a humungous pot that I'm going to use to collect rainwater for them, and hopefully rig up some kind of irrigation system for when I go on holiday in August! I also use dishwater and fishtank water, and its never done the plants any harm. I use liquid castille soap for my hair and washing, its completely organic, but I don't think I'd get that water from my bathroom to the garden!

Living in Ireland, we don't pay water rates (yet!) so in previous years I've never thought twice about the fresh tap water I use for the plants, but the environmental aspect is a biggie for me, so I hope to reduce my water usage this year.