Water Butts

[KevinM67]

Kristen - Google is most always our friend.

However, it's the application of logic/reasoning /rationale to justify a belief that I enjoy - the participants of Google I suppose merely confirm or oppose our beliefs.

Sorry - tough day at work, couple of glasses of wine and I'm rambling.

Apologies to the person who started the thread.

[RaptorUK]

I read a plot uses on average something like 7m3 of water.
Thats about 7 IBC per plot.

Huge amount.

. . . and multiply your plot area by the annual rainfall and what do you get ? probably more than 7 cubic meters.

The problem is you don't always get rain when you need it so when there is a dry spell you need to water.

[Bill HH]

Leaving water buts open is a very risky thing to do, how would you feel if you found a pair of toddlers feet sticking out of it.

There is another reason for storing water than just cost, rain water seems to be so much better for the plants.

[Potstubsdustbins]

For people who speak imperial.

Average rainfall in Birmingham for the last 10 years has been about 28".

Therefore if you have a 10ft x 12ft pent shed like myself you could collect up 1750 gallons or 7.81 tons, that's imperial tons by the way.

Forgot to say that's about 7.9 cubic metres

[alldigging]

. . . and multiply your plot area by the annual rainfall and what do you get ? probably more than 7 cubic meters.

The problem is you don't always get rain when you need it so when there is a dry spell you need to water.

Yup.

Better to make the soil more tolerant of less rainfall.
More organic matt in the soil, more mulch, less bare soil.

[Potstubsdustbins]

According to what I have been reading you may not need to save water.

The sun behaves in an approximate 11 year cycle and at this time should be approaching a solar maximus i.e. time of greatest sunspot activity which warms the earth.

Unfortunately this is not happening and the sun is very quite. The last time this happened for any length of time it was known as the little ice age and we had frost fairs on the Thames when it froze over.

I have a stock of high quality thermals at a very reasonable price if anyone is interested.

[Alison]

Yup.

Better to make the soil more tolerant of less rainfall.
More organic matt in the soil, more mulch, less bare soil.

And don't water too much at the start as the plants get used to it and form shallow root systems so carry on needing that water for their entire life. Water well when sowing /planting out then treat a bit mean so they search more deeply.


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[RaptorUK]

And don't water too much at the start as the plants get used to it and form shallow root systems so carry on needing that water for their entire life. Water well when sowing /planting out then treat a bit mean so they search more deeply.

Yep, that is what I have read in conjunction with the likes of Parsnips, don't water much so they send down the tap root to find their own water . . . but them I thought "what happens if it rains frequently in their early weeks ? "

[HearTheDark]

Thanks for all your replies, im a little confused myself with all these measurements....!! so i need a couple of 220lt barrels!? ive looked at IBC but with a small car theres no way i can get a second hand one in it, and delivery is £50+

[alldigging]

Yep, that is what I have read in conjunction with the likes of Parsnips, don't water much so they send down the tap root to find their own water . . . but them I thought "what happens if it rains frequently in their early weeks ? "

Rain is everywhere, rather than just on the plants.
It's because we concentrate the water round the plants that they get lazy. If all the soil is dampened then they're not reaching for the glut.

[alldigging]

Thanks for all your replies, im a little confused myself with all these measurements....!! so i need a couple of 220lt barrels!? ive looked at IBC but with a small car theres no way i can get a second hand one in it, and delivery is £50+

Trailer!
Borrow one or find someone with one to collect it for you.

[Kristen]

im a little confused myself with all these measurements....!!

I had a look at average rainfall for Birmingham from start of September (assuming you can stop watering then) until end of April (assuming you start watering in May). That was 265mm

Let's assume your shed is 6' x 8' so the total rainfall you could collect would be:

Google: 6 feet x 8 feet x 265mm =

which gives a little over 1,000 Litres so you might just about fill an IBC - although you'll never collect 100% of the rainfall of course. Other shed sizes are available

If you have multiple 220L barrels you have to consider how you will connect them together. OTOH if you have only one IBC you will have to connect the gutters from both sides of the shed, so maybe a barrel either side would suit you best?

[Bill HH]

I have solved your problem. Buy an old furniture van, the roof area will be 6 times or more than your shed, plus you will have a great potting shed and maybe the odd removal job. If you're near a main road you could sell advertising space too. Win, win, win and win.

[Jane Templeman]

Open top butts tend to collect leaves, bugs etc which very quickly turn the water into a smelly soup. Not sure if this adds to nutrition for the soil, but it certainly stinks! The best way to collect water in a butt is via a down pipe fed from a gutter allong any sort of roof. It doesn't even have to be a shed - my first allotment butt was fed from a plastic corrugated roof attached to four posts with a gutter attached. Don't forget to raise the butt high enough to get your watering can under the tap though ( guess how I know this???)

[Knight of Albion]

A good little related article ....

BBC - Breathing Places - Collect rainwater