I am glad I have a big butt!!!!!!

Yes water butt or butts was what I was actually referring to, not my derrier of course.

Our delayed summer of hot sunny days has meant that the plants are quickly drying out this week and as the butts have constantly been topped up this summer with the record rainfall levels it still shows that they come in very useful. I had at times wondered this year what was the point, but it goes to show how quickly the weather can change here in Ireland.

We actually have several dotted around the garden centre harvesting the rainwater from the roofs of the building and in ‘normal summers’ they are in constant use as we have moved away from using the irrigation system that we inherited due to the amount of water that is wasted and the higher running cost.

Harvesting the rainwater is an easy thing to do and is a simple job to set up. Generally rainwater is harvested from the roof of a building.  The rate at which water can be collected depends on the plan area of the system, its efficiency and the intensity of rainfall. Roof catchment systems channel rainwater that falls onto a roof into storage via a system of gutters and pipes. As you can see from the big butt we feed straight in from the downpipe however you can also get the kits that divert the rainwater from your downpipe and when the butt is full it trips a valve which means the water goes down the drain as it would have previously.

As in real life butts now come in all shapes and sizes including the slimline
model with stand and tap for a very reasonable €37, through to the more decorative butts which now include faux oak barrels, terracotta look urns and rustic looking wall tanks.

Whatever style of butt you choose the main thing to remember is that you are using a free resource which is perfect for the garden and has the following benefits….

Reduces water bills
„ Increases sustainable water use
„ Low maintenance

And of course you can talk about the size of yours and others butts without causing any offence.
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