Allotments 4 All

Hello everyone.

Work continues apace on my allotment which is celebrating its 6-week-old birthday!

I am going to get a water butt (or several) but I don't have a shed to catch water off via drainpipes.

How do you catch rainwater if your water butt is supposed to be covered all the time???????

I am imagining big funnel contraptions. Do I just have to get in the car whenever it rains and take all the lids off?

Ten x  :P

if you did cover one of them with a funnel contraption - I guess like an upside down umbrella and secured it into place, you would only need a smallish hole in the centre for the rain to get into one barrel - I wouldn't have thought you would lose that much water through evaporation from one small hole, as the funnel thing itself would act as the lid?

hmmmm....I have the same dilemma - no shed currently and as we have no piped water on site, water butts are a must.  So tell me, as I am a little jaded at this time of night, why must you keep the lid on your butts?  (sounds rude..heheheheh)

Hi EJ, you keep your lids on to stop your pants geting dirty ;D . The real reason is to stop your water going green  ::)with the algae, or in your case jaded, get it green  :-/ i know sick joke :-X .

Cheeky!  ;D
The water butt in my garden goes green, and it has a lid on!  Not terribly green, just a little peasoupy.  Surely this doesn't harm your waterings?  I know you should use clean water on seeds so you don't get damping off and other yuckies, but on plants already in situ, does it do harm?????   ;D :o ??? ;D

Hi EJ,you can get 'stuff' to put in your butt to clear the water up :o i think it's called 'aqua clear' :-/ but don't shoot the messanger if it's wrong :-[ . Also i clean all my butts out this time of year just to be on the safe side.

Such thorough personal hygene Jethro!  ;D  Nothing nicer than a cleaning your butt on these short chilly winter days!  :o

Hi EJ, yes i clean out all the nooks and crannies :o got to get them clean you know ::) ;D and i only use warm water, too cold for anything else :o . I will eventually use a power spray once the turbine is up and running :D .

Hi!Jethro glad you mentioned your Turbine. How's it coming along ?

Hi BB, coming along  nicely thank you  ;D but unsure wether to put it up as the little 'darlings' might take a fancy to it again >:( . I have completed the solar one but yet again not sure to put it up due to the cost, very expensive  :P . I will give the wind one one last try and see what happens :-/ with any luck the wind will be high and it will chop their hands off  ;) .

Here ,Here about the little darlings they are quite a problem round here.Short of a good crack round the a**e.Discipline is a dirty word these days but it never hurt us.Let us know how you get on. See Garden Vacs can you help.