How to... harness the elements

Canny gardeners and smallholders are happy to let nature take on some of the work. Exploiting sunlight, wind and rain is not only environmentally friendly, it can also be cost-effective, although it may require an initial investment.

Let the sunshine in
Positioning your greenhouse to take full advantage of the sun, particularly in winter, goes a long way towards cutting heating costs; setting it lengthwise east to west is ideal to maximise light and warmth. ‘Solar greenhouses’ use dense materials, such as rock, concrete or barrels of water, which absorb the sun’s heat during the day and release it at night. Water drums painted a dark colour are cheap and offer maximum absorption; they shouldn’t touch the sides of the greenhouse or the outside cold will draw away the warmth.
A small solar photovoltaic panel is sufficient to light your shed on dark afternoons or summer evenings and is likely to prove cheaper than connecting to the mains. SolarMate shed or garage lighting kits are available from The Green Shop (01452 770629; www.greenshop.co.uk).
Many of us use outdoor solar lights, which charge up when the sun is out and illuminate at dusk, but plenty of other garden accessories can be powered by the sun, including water features, sonic mole deterrents and rotating hanging baskets.

Harvest the rain
A small barrel under your downpipe is a useful way to conserve water in the garden, but after a few weeks of dry weather, you’ll have used it up when your vegetable patch is at its most parched. To make the most of rainy days, opt for a proper rainwater harvesting tank that can be sunk below ground. A big tank can hold 7,000 litres or more, compared to a standard 250-300 litre butt. The largest ones will collect and store enough water not only for the garden, but also for running the washing machine and flushing the loo. Information on rainwater harvesting is available from Renewable Energy UK (www.reuk.co.uk) and the Centre for Alternative Technology (01654 705950; www.cat.org.uk).
For a midway measure that is bigger than a water butt but doesn’t involve digging a large hole, consider a recycled commercial 1,800 litre fruit juice container, from The Tank Exchange (0870 467 0706; www.thetankexchange.com).

Get out your compass
Take advantage of the microclimate provided by a sunny wall, as gardeners have done for centuries. Classic Victorian gardens often featured espaliered fruit trees, such as peach or apricot, ripened against the warm bricks. A south-facing wall in full sun is ideal for herbs such as rosemary, lavender and thyme, but can be too hot for less drought-resistant species. West-facing walls provide good shelter for tender plants, while north-facing ones are shady. Remember that the shelter of the wall can prevent rain from falling on plants directly beneath it, so use plenty of mulch to keep the soil moist.
Some vegetable gardeners create banks of soil and grow crops on the sunny side, as a 40-degree slope increases heat absorption by as much as 30 per cent. And, unlovely though it may be, covering the ground in clear plastic helps keep in the sun’s heat for a further temperature boost.

Green power
Thinking big, it’s possible to generate electricity from a wind turbine or solar panels to power lawnmowers, garden shredders and strimmers. However, do the sums first. The Centre for Alternative Technology notes that it can be more financially viable simply to buy green electricity, as small turbines are not always efficient and solar panels have
a long payback period.

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