A small water butt can make it easier to collect rainwater for a greenhouse, pots and other nearby garden jobs. It will not cover all your watering. However, it can reduce how much mains water you use if the setup is easy to access.
UK note: This is an evergreen setup. It becomes most useful once spring sowing begins. It is also valuable when greenhouse watering starts and during dry spells. How quickly a small butt fills depends more on roof area and local rainfall than the month.
In a large garden, collecting rainwater helps reduce mains-water use. This is especially effective for greenhouse and nearby jobs. Rainfall is fairly regular in the east of England.
Collecting rainwater is fairly easy when you already have runoff from a roof, greenhouse or shed. The main job is to add a water butt as a reservoir and direct the water into it. The RHS advice on water use in gardens suggests using water butts to harvest rainwater. This helps cut demand on mains water.
My first water butt will be added to my greenhouse. This should supply the greenhouse through the main spring growing period.
I had already added downpipes to the greenhouse. The main job is to redirect them into the new water butt. If you are attaching a butt to a standard house downpipe, a connector is usually supplied.
I raised the butt. This allows me to run a short hose into the greenhouse. I also use a wooden stake with a tap at the top. That tap must sit at the same height as the tap on the butt. Alternatively, it should be below it so the stored water still drains by gravity. I chose a relatively small butt because the greenhouse roof area is also relatively small.
Progress installing the water butt has paused for now because of heavy snow blown in from the east. It will be useful to have a supply of water inside the greenhouse when I start sowing this year’s seeds.
It should also help with watering container vegetables in summer. If you want to reduce mains-water use more broadly, read my guide. It explains how to water your garden in hot weather as the next step. If dry spells or hosepipe restrictions are a concern where you live, check Ofwat’s explanation. They detail what hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans mean.
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