Allotment Stuff > The Basics

Rain Catchment

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micklynn:
Hello again  :)
I am wondering if anyone can advise upon an idea I have for our allotment.  It is going to have a long straight path and along side that path, at a slightly lower level, I am thinking of placing wide guttering on either side and sloping in one direction.  The plan is that rain falling and draining into the guttering will run into at least two sunken water containers.  The containers will be accessible to fill watering cans or I may fit a simple hand pump.  (That's the beauty of taking on a plot from which we can start from scratch and it's just the right time for me to lay this.) I also intend to lay the path with plastic but have the centre pitched so rain can drain off the path into the guttering.  Has anyone else tried this or can anyone spot any flaws to this plan?  (We are of course going to gutter the shed and have a water barrel there too.)

ina:
Hi ML,
Gosh, that seems like a lot of work and I wonder if the amount of rain falling into the gutter and draining into a container will be worth the trouble and expense. You plan to sink it too so that water from the garden also drains into it? I would think that they will be clogged with soil in no time.

There has been a thread on this subject before, something about water catchment, maybe the search function can help you find it.

If water is a problem on your lottie, remember that most crops hardly need watering after they are established. If you spoil your crops, their roots will not go deep to find water.  Don't let the plants let you do all the work, make them work for water themselves. Beans for example, once they are growing, I only give them some water when it's very dry during the flowering stage. Try to find out which crop really depends on you for water.

Good luck with your lotty.

The gardener:
The first thing that came into my mind when reading your idea was stagnant water and an inherant danger of stepping/ falling into them.

As Ina says if your ground is well prepared watering should be minimal.

mysticmog:
Hi ML - welcome to the allotment wonderland..

I too have considered water trappage methods - check out the thread Water Butts Revisited.  There are many useful suggestions re: water capture, including some impressive mathematical calculations explaining how what you propose probably won't work, as Ina said - you won't have enough capture area to warrant having the guttering.

Check it out, might give you some ideas...and good luck.

micklynn:
Just got back from our lottie to find all your comments, thanks.  A few hours more digging.  Lynn 'officially' planted the first things, a red gooseberry and some Rhubarb.
It's starting to look as it should rather than the weed patch we inherited.
My plan is a lot of work but then I enjoy that and Lynn and I have had discussions regarding letting the plants etc work for themselves, selecting appropriate types etc.
Soil migration won't be a problem, well not if my plans go right (!) and I intend to ensure no-one can step into the containers.
We were just thinking of how to best use what is provided by nature.  Our lottie is our 'life' investment and we want to have fun and be creative.  I'll look up the previous posts, thanks for the tips.  ;D

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