Making your own Water Butt

The summer is approaching and already the warnings about drought have started. Hose pipe bans are inevitable and any avid gardeners are going to have expensive water bills. Although its difficult to believe that we're going to run low on water when it's been raining non-stop all day (and a lot of the weekend!) now is the perfect time to be thinking about this. Making your own water butt will collect all the rain that's falling now and save it for the dry months approaching when you'll really need it.

There are commercial water butts available, but these tend to be quite expensive. It's much cheaper and also better for the environment to make your own as you can recycle materials. The best material to use is plastic - it's waterproof, you can get large containers and since plastic isn't biodegradable you'll be saving it from landfill and repurposing it instead. A temporary solution is to use a wooden container with a pond liner or polythene bag inside, however the bag could split or the wood could break under the water pressure so it's not good as a long-term water butt.

The best containers are old plastic food bins that can be picked up on internet auction sites pretty easily. They're perfect because they come with a lid that makes them child friendly and pet safe, as well as less likely for mosquitos to breed in them. There are also a variety of sizes available, from 70 to 200 litres. When you aquire one of these containers you need to get it steam cleaned to prevent any residual bacteria from growing fungi.

There are two ways to access the water; through the top of the butt or by fitting a special tap lower in the wall that is sealed by aquatic sealant. If you go for the latter option, be sure to choose a sealant that doesn't contain fungicides which will contaminate the water. Tap kits are available in most garden centres. Getting water from the top is quicker and easier than a tap, but when water levels get lower this becomes more difficult. It also leaves a higher chance of mosquitos breeding.

Some of the other options that work well are old oil drums, although they can be expensive to get, and old oak barrels which are aesthetically pleasing and can be sourced from dedicated suppliers. With the oak barrel you will need to install a wooden water spigot instead of a tap, making sure to use the fungicide free aquatic sealant.

Whatever option you go for, you'll be ensuring you have water for your plants throughout the summer months and smug in the knowledge that you're helping the environment. The more water butts you have the better off you will be and if you place them around the garden you'll maximise your chances of catching the rain water while simultaneously reducing the distance you need to carry a heavy watering can!


So what do you think? Will you be making a water butt while the rain is here?