Water
The plot where we grow fruit and vegetables is quite far from our house and therefore we can't run a hose or use mains electricity, so I've had to work out a solution for storing and pumping water. Luckily there's a stream running down one edge of the plot, but unfortunately this dries up in summer (at least most of the time) so it can't be relied on, and it's a bit awkward climbing down into it to fill watering cans. When we arrived there was a collection of old plastic drums which had been used to collect water from various shed roofs, so I started by using these as waterbutts, having fitted guttering to the shed in the plot. However last spring we'd had a drought for several months (yes, I know that didn't last for long!) so I bought an IBC to hold 1000L of water and raised it on a collection of scrap wood:
You can also see the guttering from the shed (I'm just about to cut this down to feed the tank directly) and some of the older waterbutts. Note it's a black tank which apparently helps to reduce algae growth.
To use water from this tank or the waterbutts (which I'm still using - with our current weather forecast for a long hot summer I want as much water available as possible) there's a choice of filling watering cans, which takes ages, or a hose - pumped by a 12 volt bilge pump powered by a portable 12 volt battery pack (a bit like this one). I can also use the pump to fill the tanks from the stream when it's running.
Future plans include a solar-powered charger for the battery, an automatic level switch to trigger the pump and keep the tanks filled (although to be honest I only need to do this occasionally) and some automatic drip-fed watering for the patch while we're away. The more beds I cut the more watering is required so anything that cuts down the labour is good for me and the plants!
You can also see the guttering from the shed (I'm just about to cut this down to feed the tank directly) and some of the older waterbutts. Note it's a black tank which apparently helps to reduce algae growth.
To use water from this tank or the waterbutts (which I'm still using - with our current weather forecast for a long hot summer I want as much water available as possible) there's a choice of filling watering cans, which takes ages, or a hose - pumped by a 12 volt bilge pump powered by a portable 12 volt battery pack (a bit like this one). I can also use the pump to fill the tanks from the stream when it's running.
Future plans include a solar-powered charger for the battery, an automatic level switch to trigger the pump and keep the tanks filled (although to be honest I only need to do this occasionally) and some automatic drip-fed watering for the patch while we're away. The more beds I cut the more watering is required so anything that cuts down the labour is good for me and the plants!