Alan Titchmarsh on saving water – and the planet

Help the environment – and your bank balance, too – by making the most of every precious drop with watering cans and butts, says Alan

Afamily of four uses roughly 450 litres of water a day – all of it pure and drinkable stuff that has been treated and delivered to your tap for about £415 a year. When you think of what you would pay for 450 bottles of mineral water, tap water is quite a bargain. But prices are rising and what is more, the supply isn’t limitless so we need to cut down – and not just during long, hot, dry summers.

Hosepipes are obvious water guzzlers. Washing the car with

a bucket and cloth uses about eight litres of water, which is much less than using a hosepipe to do the same job. Watering essential plants with a standard 10-litre or six-pint watering can cost less than 10p a fill, so even five watering cans full of water is pretty affordable. Compare this to watering the garden more liberally with a hose or a sprinkler that uses 550 litres an hour.

And if you are counting the cost of metered water, ask yourself what really needs watering most. Young plants take priority, along with anything growing in containers or the greenhouse, plus salads and veg. But don’t worry too much about established borders, trees and shrubs and – above all – lawns. They can cope better than most people think.

There are all sorts of other ways you can save water in the garden. Mending a leaky outdoor tap can save a bath full of water each week and it’s a good idea to plant up fewer but bigger containers.

Large ones not only waste less water, they make more impact than lots of tiddlers. And any time you wash salads or veg, use a washing-up bowl to do the job then, instead of tipping the dirty water down the sink, pour it on to tubs or hanging baskets.

If you are prepared to invest, there are ways of spending a little to save a lot. Put in water butts to trap rainwater from your roof. The average water butt holds 50 gallons and over the season you can expect to refill it for free many times over. Rainwater is soft, too, so it is better for watering plants than anything from a tap. It is also great for topping up your pond.