Topic: not allowed/banned hoses at our site upminster essex possibly nationwide

[Squash64]

We are allowed to fill waterbutts with hoses but not water your plot with it.  If I need to fill my watercan from a tap that is being used to water a plot with a hose, I leave the hose disconnected afterwards, with the tap turned off.  We are on a water meter and water bills increasing, has been the cause of our last 3 rent rises.  Personally, I am against hose pipes on the site.  We used to have 1 tap for about every 25 plots, we now have 1 tap per 5 plots so hoses are not needed.  If you are fit and well enough to work an allotment, you are fit and well enough to carry a watering can.  All new tenants are informed of the benefits of having a water butt when taking over the plot. 

Exactly the same at our site.

However, it doesn't stop people sneaking in while it's still dark and using a hose, hoping that nobody will see them.  >:(

[pumkinlover]

Banned totally on our site about 15 years ago.

[antipodes]

No hoses here either, either barrels that fill from your shed roof, or there are taps with barrels under them but we use with caution as we pay for the water. I use my saved stuff and only resort to the tap when I need to...

Mulch mulch mulch!

[lincsyokel2]

Well its ok if you have a supply of mulching material......................

Actually, theres an open day thing on in the village atm and thers an Anglian Water Roadshow Trailer, so i just went and asked them, they denied any knowledge of any hosepipe ban in the forseeable future. So thats straight from the horses mouth.

[manicscousers]

We self imposed a ban last year, just before the water company did, sick of seeing people using hoses to turn their site into paddy fields. Apart from that, it's useless to stand spraying the top leaves of fruit bushes and potatoes in the morning (this is what they were doing) as, unless you water to the roots, it dries up  :-\

[Nigel B]

Well its ok if you have a supply of mulching material......................

Straw. Lots of it, a bale at a time if needs be.
....Then you won't have to go explaining your rationale to all and sundry when they suss you out for being water-greedy.  :P

[Aunty Mavis]

Years ago we took a vote on our site and it was unanimously agreed that we wanted to have hose pipes.

They are the things which are usually over used by novices who do not have a clue about gardening but we keep an eye out and get rid of them straight away.

Our water costs are less than £10 per member per year. But we all feel that £10 a year is a price well spent.

Novices over use water and none of our plot holders are novices. No plot on our site has been relinquished for re-letting for five years. We are all dedicated gardeners.

[Reg]

How do you get rid of novices Mavis.?

[aj]

I'd like to see your system work on our site...after all it relies heavily on something we don't get.....Rain!

It does work in the veg plots that I work on in dry areas, in fact some of the best water capture designs came from school kids themselves. Unless you live in the dessert, it does rain and you need to be devious in how you capture it during the winter so that you can use it in the summer. It does rain in Cambs, I know as used to live there. Throwing your hands up and saying 'it'll never work here' is just defeatist.

[Digeroo]

we keep an eye out and get rid of them straight away

   :o :o

Surely this years novice will turn into a future experienced gardener.  You have to start somewhere.

Straw used to be burned off, I am not sure I know what happens to it now.  Rather a lot seems to end up in huge bales which are far to big for the amateur gardener to transport.  Straw also makes a terrible mess if you put it into a car.

[Squash64]

We usually have a delivery of straw every year.  People let me know how many bales they want and the farmer delivers it.  Last year I think we had about 130.

[lincsyokel2]

 Straw also makes a terrible mess if you put it into a car.

Not as much  mess as it does when you fill the car with manure.

[raisedbedted]

Definately not the 'novices' who are responsible for paddy field style watering on our site.  Its the people who have the time during the day to get there early, get their hose connected and talk to other plot holders for hours on end whilst their veggies float around their plots like a floating Thai market.

[Fork]

Hoses are allowed on our site but out of the 24 plots only a handful of people use them.

We are metered and pay our own bill...its never much..think the last one for the year was something like £261......thats less than my bill for home!

I should had that the bill is shared equally between each plot whether you use a hosepipe or not.There have been a couple of moans but it never came to much.

[bluecar]

Getting straw in bulk is a great idea Squash 64. Can you remember how much it cost you per bale?

Regards

Bluecar

[lincsyokel2]

Hoses are allowed on our site but out of the 24 plots only a handful of people use them.

lol when i first read that i thought it said 'horses', which baffled me somewhat until i realised the difference..........

[Squash64]

Getting straw in bulk is a great idea Squash 64. Can you remember how much it cost you per bale?

Regards

Bluecar

I think it was £2.25 per bale but it's probably gone up this year.

[non-stick]

No hoses on our site, self-filling troughs

Watering can in each hand, great workout and cheaper than the gym!!


Although I'm lucky enough to be fit enough to do that - not so much fun for the older plot holders

[chriscross1966]

Luckily I'm in a position (I live very close to my plot and as I'm on my own my time is my own) to water as I will.... As I'm also generally busy and given that this year the plot could have done with more water than I gave it I'm rigging an autowatering system for next year based on a pair of IBC 1000 litre tanks as resevoirs and a solar pump to fill header tanks which then feed leaky pipes running off autowatering systems at night .... to fill the resevoirs (they'll take the guttering from the polytunnel but I doubt that will be enough in summer) I can get round the hosepipe ban on site by taking a pump that will run off my C5's battery and pumping water from the troughs on site to the resevoir ... in the evenings I'm the only one there so draining the trough won't matter.

By using a solar fountain to refill the headers but having the autoowatering happen at night I'll never have the situation of weater being pumped into a header when the watering is on.... the overflows from the headers go back into the resevoir..... rigged sensibly I reckon I cna make 2000 litres last ten days watering the polytunnel, beans and spuds... the last two not every day though....PRobably 200 litres every fourth day...

[gp.girl]

chriscross1966

Crikey thats £5 (here in sussex) worth of water every ten days so thats £45 assuming you only water in june july and august which is rather unlikely so say £60 quid so either water is very cheap where you are, you don't have a meter, other people on the allotment will pay for you or you'll be paying a lot of rent!

PS some bans are a ban on hosepipes so just cos you are pumping it into resevoirs doesn't mean you are obeying the rules unless you avoid using one completely.

MULCH!!!!!!!!!!!!It's amazing stuff.