This is the first year since I was a child that Auckland is facing water restrictions and it could just be that we go into summer with these restrictions in place.
As we have invested heavily in the garden I didn't want to risk losing our plants over summer due to not being able to use a hose.
So at the beginning of winter we invested in a 4000 litre rainwater tank. When it turned up my eyes almost popped out of my head. It was bigger than I thought and my measuring was a bit out. We had to lift it over the fence but in the end I'm happy that we didn't get a smaller one.
I managed to install it myself and rig up a pump to a tap and the whole thing is pressure activated so works like a normal tap when connected to the hose.
We have already planned for a water smart garden with the use of vege pods but our densely planted orchard is going to need a lot of water this summer.
I've also checked out a book from the library about using clay watering pots which is fascinating and I'm considering giving it a go.
The other thing we will be doing this year is laying a thick layer of leaf mulch this year and peastraw to conserve as much as we can.
The coolest thing about having a tank is that we have been able to continue washing the car and even waterblasting the deck. It is still full and we've been extending the hose over the fence to share with the neighbors. I've made it clear that at the moment they can use as much as they like but as the weather improves I'm likely to be a bit less generous!
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