Watering the garden your thoughts...
stuart king
Posts: 1
Good Evening,
I am currently studying design with the Open University and could do with some help please. A keen gardener myself I am interested to look at solutions for watering the garden. I would really appreciate it if people could respond to the questions below to help me with my project.
Q1: How would you describe the size of your garden?
a) Small b) Medium c) Large
Q2: How do you store rainwater/recycled water in your garden? Please indicate which of the following statements apply:
a) “I only use water from a tap”
b) “I collect rainwater in a water butt”
c) “I recycle grey water”*
d) Other, please specify
*For example waste water from the bathroom/kitchen that is relatively clean
Q3: How do you water your garden? Please mark all of the below methods that apply:
a) Hosepipe (using an inside/outside tap)
b) Hosepipe and sprinkler (using an inside/outside tap)
c) Hosepipe Irrigation system (using an inside/outside tap)
d) Hosepipe and electric pump (using an inside/outside tap)
e) Hosepipe and solar powered pump (using water butt rain water)
f) Watering can (filled using an inside/outside tap)
g) Watering can (filled from a water butt containing rain water)
h) Other, please specify
Q4: If some of the time you water your garden with rainwater what factors make you revert back to tap water?
Q5: If I was designing a product to water your garden what would the three most important considerations be. Please mark those that are applicable below:
a) Time: “I need to water as quickly as possible, I don’t have the time to continuously keep filling the watering can”
b) Sustainability: “ I want to ensure that where possible I conserve water”
c) Efficiency: I want to make sure my plants receive adequate water”
d) Weight: “I don’t like carrying the watering can up and down”
e) Durability/Reliability: “I need a solution that won’t let me down and will last”
f) Aesthetics: “I want the solution to look good”
g) Pressure: “I need to ensure there is adequate pressure to successfully water my garden”
h) Range: “I need to be able to water my garden at long range without losing pressure”.
Many thanks,
Stuart
Q6: If you do not currently use rain/recycled water what are the barriers that stop you?
Posts
Q1...b] medium
Q2..b] collect in water butt [I have 3 actually]
Q3..a], f] and g]
Q4..only when my butts have run out...
Q5..b], c] and e]
Q1 small
Q2 water butt
Q3 rainwater-g
Q4.empty water butt
Q5 b & c
! Medium
2 water butt
3 g mostly, but occassionally f
4 Water butt run dry
5 b and c
Q1) a-small
Q2) er, what is grey water? I use water I collect from various cans, plus some tap
Q3) f & g
Q4) I can't collect enough rainwater, so I mainly use tap and top up with rain, especially for plants that dislike hard water, like acers, camellias etc...
Q5) a, b & c
Q6) I use very little rainwater, only what I can collect in cans, because my garden is too small for a water butt...design me a compact water butt and I'll be happy!
Jess, grey water is bath water, washing up water etc., it can be collected, stood to clear and then used on the garden. Don't keep it in big containers as it goes yucky then. Don't use if you are a big fan of scented and oily bath products. It is fine for just about anywhere, and has saved many a garden in hosepipe ban & drought conditions - which are hard to imagine after last year but will doubtless appear at some point.
1 Medium
2 Several water butts, from house, shed and greenhouse
3 g when ever possible, but sometimes an outside tap for cans too.
4 Can't imagine doing so unless completely out of other water, when woud only water urgent things, baskets for example
5 1 - 6 inclusive
Re Question 2:- I have already answered your questions and said I use a water butt. In fact I have 4 - 3 large ones from the house and garage , a medium sized one off the GH.
I also have an emergency (used all water elsewhere) dustbin with an inverted lid that is at the bottom of the garden and just collects rainfall.
Hi Stuart
Q1: How would you describe the size of your garden?
c) Large
Q2: How do you store rainwater/recycled water in your garden? Please indicate which of the following statements apply:
b) “I collect rainwater in 2 water butts”
Q3: How do you water your garden? Please mark all of the below methods that apply:
g) Watering can (filled from a water butt containing rain water)
h) Other, please specify - hosepipe off a water butt
Q4: If some of the time you water your garden with rainwater what factors make you revert back to tap water?
if the butts ran dry
Q5: If I was designing a product to water your garden what would the three most important considerations be. Please mark those that are applicable below:
c) Efficiency: I want to make sure my plants receive adequate water”
g) Pressure: “I need to ensure there is adequate pressure to successfully water my garden”
h) Range: “I need to be able to water my garden at long range without losing pressure”.
Ta