To celebrate Water Saving Week 2026, local residents Matt and Ruth kindly took the time to show us their homemade water harvesting system which they have set up in their garden.
Keen to save water, and not use treated water from their taps to keep their veg garden healthy throughout the year, Matt and Ruth got inventive during Covid to build this cost-effective, time-saving system which collects water from the roof of their shed and stores it in tanks or water butts.
The system can collect around 5000 litres of rainwater a year depending on rainfall, and the clever use of pipework ensures their veggies don't dry out during the hotter months.
There are lots of ways to collect rainwater in your outdoor space, from a simple bucket or water butt, to this more sophisticated type of system which costs under £300 to set up.
Any water saving gives a helping hand to our rivers and ponds, but can also save you money, as well as time maintaining your garden.