Optimize your garden maintenance with rainwater

8 smart tips for zero wasteinthegarden

With increasingly dry summers, watering restrictions, and rising bills, maintaining a garden is becoming more complicated. Collecting rainwater isan obvious solution but you may not yet know how to store and use it efficiently. In this article, you’ll learn how to grow your garden while saving water andhow to manage your rainwater reserves effectively using a flexible tank.

1 Organize your garden to save rainwater

First of all, you need to know your available capacity, which is, the volume of rainwater that can potentially be collected. To do this, two pieces of information are essential.

Rainwater collection area

Every garden has cooler areas (shaded, north-facing, or at the bottomof aslope) and warmer ones (south-facing, near a wall, for example). Takingthesefactors into consideration when planning your plant layout has two benefits:

• It helps plants thrive in the most suitable environment for their needs,and will flourish.
• It reduces irrigation needs , no more overwatering hardy plantsjust because they’re next to thirstier ones.

To create the best planting map:

• Make research on the plants you want to grow,their characteristic (orientation, watering needs…) and group flowers (for your ornamental garden) and vegetables (for your vegetable patch) by similar care requirements.
• Install windbreaks and shade cloths in areas where sensitiveplants grow, protecting them from heat and water stress.

2 Choose water-efficient varieties and mulch wisely

The choice of plant species is as important as watering itself. Many plantsarenaturally adapted to dry conditions, such as:

• Xerophytes, cacti, oleanders, lavender, sage, and euphorbia.

• Water-efficient vegetables like bulbs (garlic, shallots, onions), legumes (lentils, peas), root vegetables (potatoes, beets, Jerusalem artichokes), and deep-rooted perennials like artichokes, asparagus, and rhubarb.

• Group plants by water needs and use mulching —coveringthesoil around plants with shredded branches, straw, pine bark, or hemp geotextiles. This keeps the soil moist, limits evaporation, and protects roots from frost in winter.

3 Save tank water by growing under cover

Some crops thrive in greenhouses or tunnels. Creating mini-greenhouses for lettuce or tomatoes reduces watering needs. The enclosed space traps heat and encourages condensation, providing natural humidity.

Your plants thrive on ambient humidity. And you can use “free” water andwater as needed. It’s possible to channel condensation into a small container
and use this water for localized applications (gentle fertigation).

4 Create a temporary wet zone with excess water

If it rains heavily and your flexible tank is full, don’t let it overflow —use theextra water to your advantage.

Guide the surplus into a shallow swale or micro-pond. This water will slowlyseep into the soil, keeping crops moist longer without heavy watering.

To prepare for such rain events, dig a shallow basin, add thick mulch aroundthe edges, plant drought-tolerant species on the borders and water-lovingones in the center.

5 Practice water-efficient irrigation

We often overwater to compensate for evaporation (especially during thehottest months). Installing a drip irrigation system allows rainwater to bedelivered slowly and continuously to the base of plants. Every drop of water isuseful. Mulching retains moisture and reduces weed growth.

useful. Mulching retains moisture and reduces weed growth. This technique can save up to 50 to 70% of water compared to oscillatingirrigation. It’s also better for plant health, causing less water stress. It’s easy to connect your flexible tank to a low-pressure network and theninstall drip lines (average flow rate: 2 to 4 liters per hour). A layer of mulchafew centimeters thick is enough to optimize this watering…

6 Clean without overusing tank water

Maintaining a garden or vegetable patch is an exciting but messy job. Decks, tools, and surfaces quickly take on an earthy color. The rainwater you collect
for watering is also the water you use to clean them. There’s no need to waste liters of water unnecessarily: you can wash withmoderation. Using a low-pressure sprayer, supported by a brush broom, avoids the need for a continuous jet of water from the garden hose. Be meticulous: rinse tools after each use with a bucket of rainwater, brushthedeck with water and black soap, and collect the rinsing water to clean bootsor dampen dusty paths.

7 Collect rainwater from roofs

You can maintain your garden year-round using only rainwater. Collectingit issimple: it slides off the roof, falls into gutters with grommets to remove branches, leaves, and dust at the bottom of which a connection is installed. This directs all the rainwater to the flexible tank. It is estimated that in France, 100 m² of roof can provide tens of cubic meters of water per year. You storethe water during rainy periods and reuse it as you wish during dry spells

8 Track your water savings

Finally, savings come from monitoring. The more you measure your consumption, the better you can adjust it. Understanding changes in water consumption and comparing them from one year to the next motivates andguides your priorities

Install a water meter on the outlet of your flexible tank. By following the abovetips, you’ll realize that your tank is sufficient for all your crops. And that theremay even be some left over for other uses!

The flexible tank: the anti-waste ally that changes the gardener’s life

What is a flexible tank?

A big plastic bag pillow shape made of sturdy technical fabric (PVC), installedon level ground in less than half a day. Installation is easy. SERENA offers tanks from 300 liters to 30 cubic meters.Evaluate your needs and capacities then choose the best suitable container.

How does it prevent water waste?

The flexible tank allows you to store all the rainwater collected fromyour roofs. It is sure and guaranteed:

No evaporation or mosquitoes: it is a sealed tank;
Preservation of water quality: it remains clear, filterable, and ready to use(not potable);

Great robustness: the fabric material is UV-resistant, and its design is carefully designed to ensure great durability

Flexibility of use: all you need is standard fittings, a simple connection tothewater collector, gutters, drip irrigation, or a small pump to operate your system.

Maintaining your garden and vegetable patch using only rainwater has nowbecome an easy task. From mulched drip irrigation to greenhouse
condensation recovery, from sustainable cleaning to temporary wetlands, each practice adds up to saved liters, more resilient plants, and lower bills. At
the heart of the system, the flexible tank transforms downpours into resources.

Internal & external links

• See our flexible rainwater tanks
• World Water Report– ONU