Last week when the sun was shining and temperatures soared, a customer cancelled his order for a water butt.
‘It’s going to be good weather now so there won’t be enough rain to fill a 200-litre butt,’ he said.
It raises an interesting question.
When should you get a water butt - when it’s wet or when it’s dry?
Wet, dry? Chicken, egg? You need a water butt most when it’s dry, but of course it will only contain water if there’s been rain. This is why sales of water butts remain high throughout the winter because a lot of canny folk realise they need to be capturing rainwater when it falls. You could say it’s a case of saving for a sunny day.
Last week I installed a 100-litre Rainsaver mini butt in a tight space at the side of our house. It had only been in place a few days when, out of curiosity, I went to see if there was any water in it. There had only been a few scattered showers but to my amazement the water butt was half full already.
So on the day the customer cancelled his order I was out with the watering can watering dry soil around plants and topping up the birdbath with chemical-free soft water.
The mini butt was a replacement for our 200-litre Cloudburst water butt, which I finally had to accept was too big for the space and awkward to get to.
I moved this large water butt a few months ago. Before dismantling it, I had to empty it. Naturally I had chosen the wettest February on record to do this.
I couldn’t let all the water run out from the tap as this would have flooded our next-door neighbours’ path, so I emptied it from the top, scooping out the water with buckets. It was hard work but strangely satisfying for someone who spends too much time sitting at a screen.
A sensible person would have disconnected the water butt as soon as it was empty, but unfortunately I didn’t. Like the customer who cancelled his water butt, I thought I knew what the weather was going to do. How was I to know it was going to be the wettest February on record? It had rained so much I thought it couldn’t possibly rain again. Big mistake. Huge.
The next day the water butt was full to the brim again. I emptied it again. It refilled again. If you’ve seen the Mickey Mouse film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice you’ll get the picture. What can I say? It was a combination of disorganisation and, have I mentioned it was the wettest February on record?
I must have moved about 600 litres of rainwater over a couple of days – all of it thrown on an already soggy garden.
I’m now looking into other options for creating structures for more water storage. Anything with a roof provides the structure needed for a water butt.
This could be a shed, garage, outbuilding, greenhouse, or even a home-made garden creation.
It’s tempting to think that because so much water fell over winter there’ll be no drought this summer. But the UK is still desperately short of water. Read more here.
The charity River Action says that every drop of rain that falls should be treasured.
We couldn’t agree more. It’s better off in your garden sustaining plants and wildlife - or even washing your car during hosepipe bans - than going down the drain.
The best answer to the question of when to get a water butt is - when you don’t need one.
Remember how last summer was the driest on record? If this summer is the same, the customer who cancelled his water butt may regret his decision.
Julie