How to Garden and Grow Plants Under a Hosepipe Ban (Expert Guide)

Ahh… the good old British summer. You can picture it now…

Grey skies, three days of drizzle, maybe a thunderstorm or two, and occasionally, just occasionally, blue skies and dry heat that is a match for any Greek holiday resort.

But, just as you start to enjoy those few glorious sunny days in the garden, the inevitable happens: Hosepipe Ban.

Yep, without fail, and due in part to water storage capacity issues and an old, leaking water distribution system, restrictions are put in place on how and when we use our water.

Now, if you’re a gardener or just like a green tidy lawn, this can spell disaster. Just when you need water the most, it’s snatched from your grasp and you’re left praying for rain.

So, what can you do to garden and grow your plants during a hosepipe ban? Here are our tips:

You should try to avoid cutting your lawn too short during a hosepipe ban. Our advice is to set the mower blades to about an inch (2.5cm). From there, you want to take all the clippings and sprinkle them around your lawn as a sort of mulch.

This light sprinkling will help to protect your garden from heat while also locking in any moisture in the soil and grass below. When it does rain, remember to give your garden a good rake so that the water can better penetrate the soil below.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. Instead of letting all that precious bath, shower or washing up water go to waste, collect it all in a watering can and feed your grass the nutrients it needs to survive. It may look and feel a little desperate but hosepipe bans often last far longer than the initial drought and by the time you get access to a steady supply of water your plants, grass and vegetables could already be dead.

Avoid using water that has mixed with bleach or other harsh chemicals. Regular soap, shampoo or washing up liquid will be fine, but harsh chemicals could harm your plants, grass and potentially local wildlife.

Avoid weeding, walking or allowing dogs to foul on your grass or garden patch while in the middle of the heatwave/hosepipe ban.

Weeds will naturally appear more apparent due to their long root systems, but you should avoid the desire to remove them while the hosepipe ban is in place. This could consequently do more harm than good.

You should also avoid any activity on your lawn during a hosepipe ban. Walking, cricket or even sunbathing in your garden will likely cause grass or plants extra stress, which will increase their chances of dehydration and death.

And it should go without saying, but don’t let your dogs urinate or foul on the lawn. Urine and faeces often have a high acidic content which will cause damage to your lawn, even when the rain is pouring.

If you have a garden patch of vegetables or plants that are starting to wilt and die, you can set up a sunshade to help protect them from the heat. The shade will also reduce evaporation from the soil and reduce the amount of water the plant loses through transpiration.

Our advice is to grab your washing line and a large bedsheet. From there, set it up so that your patch receives a good dose of shade between the hours of 11 and 3. If you’re growing vegetables in a greenhouse, simply stick some bin bags over the windows.

Don’t forget to take the shade down, your plants do need some sunshine to thrive and survive.

Any serious gardener should have a water butt installed somewhere on their property. Not only does it stop you from wasting money on water bills but it’s also essential to have your own water supply when you’re hit with an inevitable hosepipe ban.

If you don’t have a water butt, all you really need is a large garden bin installed under a garage or garden shed downspout. From there, your water butt will naturally gather water throughout the spring and winter. If it looks like it could overflow, simply pour some of the water down the drain.

Garden irrigation? During a hosepipe ban? Surely, that’s not possible? Well, if you’ve thought well ahead and installed yourself a water butt, then you only need one or two more affordable tools to set yourself up a proper hosepipe-ban-proof garden irrigation system.

First, you need a water butt pump. This is a type of submersible pump that can be placed inside your water butt and used to pump water around your garden

Second, you need a hose or a set of sprinklers. For an easy life, we’d opt for garden sprinklers, but that’s up to you.

Read our guide for our full advice on how to set up this easy garden irrigation system.

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