LL's Gardening Diary

[Mo]

….. weed suppressant sheet. The other thing on that plot were the ants and unbeknown, they had formed nests just under the sheet .... have you ever put your hand inside an ants nest? I have, when furtling for the new potatoes

Well I didn't put my hand in, I was using the trowel to remove 1 dying spud from the 4 I planted in a pot. The stem was covered in them, and hollowed out. Grrr. I was planning to furtle in that pot ....maybe not.

[lancashire lass]

Yesterday I heard the distinctive sound of a chain saw .... when it went quiet, I dared to peek outside to find the neighbour had part cut down his side of the privet hedge to about 6-7 feet height (from its original 12-15 feet height) With severely cutting back my side of the hedge earlier in the year, there have been no bird nests (too exposed) so he probably got away with it. The trimmed part now means half of the polytunnel and the glass greenhouse get a lot more sunlight from about 10.30 am until late afternoon as do the fruit tree bed at that end of the garden! So without further ado, I decided to finally plant the aubergine and some chilli plants in the polytunnel growbags as planned. So the entire polytunnel is now all planted up.

Today I set up the glass greenhouse - I wanted to raise the growbags up so I wouldn't end up bending down (similar set up to what I did with the polytunnel) and will plant the rest of the chilli plants. Meanwhile the polycarbonate greenhouse is empty after shifting the sweetpeas out. It doesn't get as much sunlight (the trimmings pile doesn't help) but it is warm .... I'm just not sure what to grow but I decided having the trays raised would mean better light conditions. On the last day at work last Friday, I brought home some polystyrene boxes destined for disposal (they are big with thick walls so quite strong) and have put the trays on top. I think it would be easier if I get some more growbags - still deciding but perhaps grow the cucumber and maybe beetroot in there?

I also planted 2 courgette and 2 (bush type) winter squash between fruit trees where they will get more afternoon sunlight now that the neighbour trimmed his hedge. After heavily watering the ground the day before, I was surprised and pleased when the spade dug nicely into the soil this time round. That leaves me with 3 courgette plants (I think I'll offer these to someone ... maybe to the neighbours LOL?) On the winter squash front, nearly all of the potimarron have now germinated (so much for panicking that there would be none) - in fact, I have a lot more winter squash plants than room to grow them at the moment. Still no sign of the Bocking 14 comfrey - I decided to put the plant pot in the greenhouse where I'm hoping the warmth will encourage the roots to start growing soon.

Today I sowed the rest of the sugar snap seeds - I've been very disappointed with the first batch sowed over Easter where I think only about 8 had germinated out of a possible 100 seeds. I know the seed was viable when I tested them in February so I'm unsure why so few had germinated - the soil hadn't been disturbed so wasn't mice or birds, nor eaten by slugs and snails. I also sowed dwarf borlotti bean and dwarf bush bean seeds (saved from when I had the allotment) in the same fruit tree bed as the courgettes/bush squash. If they germinate, then they'll provide ground cover for the rest of the bed as well as be a green manure/crop. I'm not so hopeful about them growing to be honest as they are old but is one way of disposing of seed whether viable or not so I was a bit heavy handed when scattering the seeds. Another disappointment is the lack of sweetcorn - I think there is a total of 7 that have germinated but the wild flower seeds are germinating and growing (some with distinctive leaves indicating some are definitely not the usual weeds coming up) I'm tempted to sow more flower seeds ... Meanwhile the bee balm have settled in well and doubled in size. Alas they are in the same fruit tree beds as the planted squash and courgette but I think they should be okay as they are at the back against the fence so not be affected too much once they all get growing and they can grow about 18" - 2 feet in height.

The weather over the Spring bank holiday has been so changeable - cooler, at times windy, and some rain - barely half an inch worth of rain water filled the bucket under the guttering from the chicken run so the ground is still very dry except where I have heavily watered it. Once again I'm glad I don't have the allotment plot otherwise I would be obsessing over the watering issues but being at home I can do some watering as and when needed. This weekend's weather is forecast hot and muggy. I have the rest of the week off work but I'm taking it easy this time and just doing a bit at a time in the garden. To be fair most of it is done and just want to let some seedlings get a bit bigger before planting. The dahlias are almost ready and currently outside getting hardened off - then it'll be a case of finding planters, filling with compost and planting. I had hoped to have another go at the wildlife pond dig and lining but once again have got on with other things. I'd rather do it as a dedicated project rather than try and fit it in with everything else.

[lancashire lass]

Things that you describe and my novice efforts make for better soil and are also way cheaper, so I'm not sure why everyone doesn't do similar things.

to be fair, it does take a little thinking and planning. It's a lot easier to dump things into the recycle bin than set up a compost bin - and not everyone is a keen gardener, know what or how to do it (and let's face it, a compost bin looks like a carbuncle in a manicured lawned garden so who wants to have one of those cluttering up the place especially if people think they'll be smelly or hard work) I had the compost heap at the allotment so all my stuff went there but with giving it up, I had to start from scratch. At first I put the soiled chicken bedding in the compost bin I had brought back with me but now I simply scatter it onto the fruit tree bed as mulch and have only just seriously started to use the compost bin properly. And people tend to like tidy gardens so after the autumn leaves have dropped, they rake up, trim all their bushes and trees and put everything into the garden waste bins for collection whereas I never did (a bit of laziness on my part as well as the cost factor of paying for collection but last autumn I made a point of covering the beds once I started to understand what garden/soil carbon capture actually meant)

[lancashire lass]

Just got time to squeeze some photos of the garden progress.

Bee balm (at the back) and courgettes planted between 2 fruit trees


Chilli and aubergines planted in the polytunnel


Dahlias hardened off and ready to be planted


Elders making a full recovery after the savage trim over winter


Tray of winter squashes (and another 2 trays you can't see!)


Busy Lizzie from seed - I have planted these on into pots of compost since the photo was taken


The sweetpeas have recovered well and really starting to take off now


The sweetcorn and wildflower bed - sadly, not many sweetcorn have come up, and some wildflower seedlings look like sow thistle and dandelion but there are some more recognisable leaf shapes too like "love in a mist"


And finally, part of the privet hedge where the neighbour finally cut his side! I hope he eventually makes his way down the rest of the garden or perhaps he is waiting to make sure the birds have finished nesting (it was obvious they weren't at the upper part of the hedge) You can see the difference between the trimmed height and the original height to the left (and the much lower trim on my side has greened up nicely)

[Freeranger]

So you have your sweetcorn in the wildflower bed? Is there an advantage to doing that (pollination maybe?) or is it just space utilisation?

[lancashire lass]

So you have your sweetcorn in the wildflower bed? Is there an advantage to doing that (pollination maybe?) or is it just space utilisation?

Unfortunately not all the sweetcorn have germinated so it hasn't quite worked out as I had hoped. The idea is a trial interplanting technique (well, my version )- I've just recently done a couple of short online courses on "Citizen Science: soil" and the suggestion that in the natural environment, it is unusual to have a "monoculture" (that is, only one species of plants occupying ground as found in standard farming techniques) and that crops grown with other (companion) crops tend to have a higher yield than grown alone. Something like the The 3 Sisters Planting (I personally think this doesn't work on the small scale such as a garden vegetable plot but some people seem to think it does well so a difference of opinion) In my case, I decided sowing wild flowers would be better because:

(i) it would be one way of putting my carbon capture plans into action - that is, I wanted to grow ground cover rather than leave the soil bare. Also, by growing different plants that have different nutrient demands (sweetcorn have deeper roots than most annual flowering plants) there should be no competition for resources and at the end of the growing season, all those little roots left in the soil are captured carbon stores which is the main objective. An alternate would be perhaps to grow a green manure like clover instead (nodules in the roots fix nitrogen so would be a good way to improve soil fertility at the same time)

(ii) I particularly wanted to grow some flowers as part of the bee and wildlife project in the garden (bees are attracted to sweetcorn flower heads for pollen but sweetcorn are actually pollinated by wind action)

(iii) I was running out of potential "flower" beds (it all looked do-able in winter when there were no leaves on the fruit trees but now that they are all growing, the shade factor was determining where to grow things) so combining a (tall) crop with the wild flowers seemed like a good option.

It was several weeks after sowing the wildflower seeds when my neighbour decided to trim a length of his side of the privet hedge which then improved the light on the fruit tree beds where I had planted out the courgettes. So last weekend I decided to scatter some old dwarf borlotti beans round the courgettes - there is little risk that the courgettes would be swamped by the bean plants which only grow about 12-18 inches high - the idea that nitrogen fixing nodules on the legume roots would add fertility to the soil and of course, get another crop out of the same space. However, I'm not hopeful that the beans will germinate as they are very old but we'll wait and see - I thought the old winter squash seeds were past it but have ended up with more plants than I really need now.

[Freeranger]

That's an interesting answer, thank you, LL.
I'd heard of the 3 sisters method some time ago, and I quite like the idea because it chimes with other ideas on layering. I hadn't realised about the deep roots though. I will give it some thought for next year, because my heavy soil could do with a bit more help in that direction, though I'm not sure I'd get sweetcorn through to harvest where I live.
I've gone for some instant cover this year with wild flower seeds and phacelia, but I think I should mix it up later. I hadn't considered 3D implications of plants, just trees.

[lancashire lass]

I hadn't realised about the deep roots though.

ah, not so much "deep" (like a tree root) but "deeper than the annuals" Most annual roots are 3-6 inch below soil surface. Now when transplanting sweetcorn, you can plant the young plants deeper than the original soil surface which is quite handy - as sweetcorn are tall plants, a strong wind can knock them over. By planting the seedlings deeper, roots appear from just above the buried stem and these seem to anchor the plants down (also for uptake of water) so sweetcorn roots might end up being about 9 inch deep, give or take a couple of inches.

I will give it some thought for next year, because my heavy soil could do with a bit more help in that direction, though I'm not sure I'd get sweetcorn through to harvest where I live.

Sweetcorn where you live? It might be possible in a very sheltered / warm location (but you might even have to consider a polytunnel or greenhouse) and also grow an extra early maturing variety like Northern Extra Sweet The biggest problem with trying to grow sweetcorn in the UK generally is the unpredictable British weather so if we have a cool late summer (as in very little sun especially throughout August) the cobs just won't ripen in time and there's a risk of mould developing from the damp conditions.

[Freeranger]

Yes, I'd thought of a specific location before - perhaps being very cunning with shelter against a dark shed and possibly even a mirror. Mildew can be a problem, so polytunnel hygiene would have to be scrupulous. Wind is also a big issue.
I've wanted to try sweetcorn, quinoa/aramanth and oats but have been poo-pooed. I'm not sure why not if the right conditions could be created. Lots of old photos of the area show gardens stuffed to bursting (not of them), so think maybe its the techniques and maybe varieties that have been lost. Everything I grow, pretty much is an early variety that I'd harvest when you do your later ones, so thanks for the tip on that.
I thought you meant you planted at a variety of depths in the one location to effectively get more in. I missed a mental leap out of my post - was thinking that having a variety of root depths would also help break up the soil for other veg next time. It would also reduce competition for nutrients at the surface, where I could maybe oversow with salads. If I could be clever in blending fixers and feeders, that would be good on some sort of cycle.
I thought maybe I should think about the y axis below as well as above ground. It would probably help my land to be better aerated. Probably better suited to rice than sweetcorn in places.
I think I should stop thinking and just do some stuff. I can always do something else if it doesn't work.

[Cheshire Chick]

Lovely plhoto's LL. Your garden with all your wonderful plants looks amazing. SO envious of your polytunnel - it looks so neat and tidy and you will get many delights to enjoy as a reward for all your hard work gardening.

[lancashire lass]

I've wanted to try sweetcorn, quinoa/aramanth and oats but have been poo-pooed.

Odd, I thought oats was a crop grown in the far north (TBH I haven't looked into it as it isn't so much being "self sufficient" but the process of de-husking or whatever it is) Now quinoa - I can't see that being a problem after all it is a South American plant (Peru/Bolivia) and is very hardy (if Fat Hen or Pig Weed grows well in your area, then basically it is the same thing (as seedlings, it's very difficult to know if you are growing your quinoa or weeds LOL) Again with quinoa, it's not a straight forward harvest and use - the seed heads need to be well washed (can take several buckets of water) to remove the saponins (soapy stuff) and then have to be thoroughly dried afterwards (I spread mine out on seed trays and left them on the south facing back bedroom south facing window where it is warm, but near an oven/radiator would suffice)

I think I should stop thinking and just do some stuff. I can always do something else if it doesn't work.

That is actually the policy I have always had in the garden - if it doesn't grow despite my best efforts, then I learned from it and moved on. For example I love garlic and easily get through 2 bulbs a week so obviously something I thought would be better if I tried to grow my own. My first efforts were not good (poor bulb size / rotted) but after a bit of research, attempted to grow early maturing garlic and thereafter was very successful. However, my garden seems not to be garlic friendly as my first attempt since giving up the allotment don't appear to be doing as well as I had hoped. So I need to learn from that - I will figure it out somehow ...

Since Saturday (except for Sunday morning) the weather has been dire - as the post title says: rain, rain, rain and more to come. The garden was in need of water so I'm not really complaining - not quite drought conditions but if we hadn't had any decent rain, a heatwave could have been a turning point. Although the fruit beds are heavily mulched, the soil underneath was dry and I had to heavily water it before planting and that meant using tap water. I don't have a working tap to fit a hose pipe (the kitchen tap is the wrong shape even for a rubber fitting) but I have sussed out that if I fill a watering can in the kitchen sink and put the hose in the nozzle bit, I can siphon water to fill up a black builders dustbin down in the garden but it comes at a cost. It is such a fiddle to get the tap water flow just right - not enough and the watering can empties, too much and it overflows and into the drain. And to start the siphon off, having to dribble water into the hose until just enough weight in the hose as it flows down the steps into the garden creates a partial vacuum before I try to feed the end of the hose into the watering can is such a laborious task.

Well, I could have filled as many as 3 water butts from the chicken run roof guttering alone after all the rain we've had so far (if I had that many water butts) As it is, 3 big flexi buckets are full and overflowing. The biggest concern however, was the pond - after 24 hours of CONTINUOUS heavy rain, the water level had risen by about 3 inches above its normal level (I usually like it about 4-6 inch from the top). I'm not so much worried about water spilling over the top although not such a good idea as that means the fish are at risk, but of the sheer weight of water putting immense pressure on the raised walls of the pond. After calculating the surface area and depth, it doesn't take much for that extra weight reaching nearly a ton! Bear in mind my pond walls are made of wood (and most of that recycled from the allotment clear out!) Yesterday morning at 5.00 am in the wind and pouring rain and a desperate chicken reminding me rather loudly she wanted to be fed, I retrieved the corrugated PVC sheets I had put into store and hurriedly put wooden struts on top of the pond to support them. I also needed to raise one end so the rain water would pour off the other end ... all this before my morning coffee I checked the pond level last night and again this morning when I fed the fish and water is still getting in but manageable. I need to siphon some off but it's finding a time and opportunity (and somewhere to put the water as the garden is already saturated and makes sense to save it for watering especially for the polytunnel and greenhouse plants) I may have another builders black bin I could use for that ....

Finally, my new projects! Last month I wrote:

Another idea is to set up algae farms - there's surprisingly very little on this idea when googling. Yes, I've seen several youtube videos of setting up diy algae farms to produce food (not something I'd be interested in) using 2L plastic pop bottles or on an industrial scale, but I was actually thinking of growing algae (high in nitrogen) to feed the compost bin. I still need to give this more thought of how to set it up but I think it has potential. Still some ways to go ....

Well it's all happening now. I ordered some live Chlorella (algae) off ebay which wasn't expensive at all - Chlorella is edible if you want to grow it to eat (supposed to be good for you but you do need to filter and mash it up to break cell walls otherwise it can give you the trots instead ...) and is routinely used to feed fry on fish farms hence not that difficult to get hold of (I know it's easy to grow algae when you don't want it like in the pond, but this is a pure culture of a species I have read up about in science papers on carbon capture projects) It's a 75ml (10x concentrated) pack so will be plenty. For now I am going to start it off indoors in a small tank by the window and then use it to seed the "algae farm" and plumb the air lines from the pond aerator (the compost bin idea might have to go on hold for now until I have a working prototype)

Meanwhile, another new project! I have been reading up about "green / living walls" and basically they are just vertical gardening - like using a pallet and either making mini planters / attach potted plants in holders. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but not only are vertical gardens a great way to grow stuff in small areas like a balcony, but are useful in other ways. Like roof gardens, they increase growing space even if it's only grass or wildflowers so that means they are good for the environment (take in CO2, insect friendly and so on). When erected against walls especially those in full sun, they also act as insulation - so in soaring summer temperatures, a bare brick wall exposed to sun retains heat for longer and also heats the house up, but as plants don't "heat up" (they lose heat by taking in water and evaporation) a living wall can help to regulate indoor temperatures on that side of the house. Still in the planning stage .....

Just about to post when I saw this:

Lovely plhoto's LL. Your garden with all your wonderful plants looks amazing. SO envious of your polytunnel - it looks so neat and tidy and you will get many delights to enjoy as a reward for all your hard work gardening.

I hope so too thank you CC

[lancashire lass]

You have to admit there's nothing quite like the British weather to keep us talking. I have booked next week off as annual leave so obviously I have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast. From today there is a steady climb in temperature, still some rain/cloud forecast but generally sunnier than of late peaking on Wednesday with risk of thunderstorms. Typical.

Meanwhile earlier this morning I had to do some urgent watering - in the polytunnel and greenhouse. With all the heavy rain we've had, it's easy to forget that the ones under cover didn't get any. And with the sun out and mild(er) temperatures, not something I could put off any longer. Last Monday morning before the rains arrived, I had moved all the potted winter squashes and Busy Lizzies into the greenhouse and as a result, they have all decided to put a growth spurt on. As they are going to be planted out in the coming days, time to get them hardened off (again) so I moved them all out. All got a good watering. One of the winter squash was pushing up a flower bud ....

One pot was particular exciting to see - my Bocking 14 comfrey roots that I had bought about a month ago are finally pushing shoots up When I received the tiny pieces, I was not too hopeful but for a couple of £s off ebay, it was a chance I took. Comfrey leaves make good mulch as well as compost activator and contain minerals taken up from deep in the soil, and the bees just love the flowers. Once planted, comfrey send deep roots and can thereafter be exceedingly difficult to dig up properly. Worse, wild type comfrey also readily self seed so the problem can multiply hence the reason why I got the Bocking 14 variety - the seeds are not viable. Instead the plant bulks up and to propagate you split the plant (like you would say rhubarb) or take root cuttings. Meanwhile I'll just grow these in pots for now until I'm ready for a forever site to plant them.

Last weekend I managed to siphon off about 300 litres of water out of the pond after the level had risen precariously high after the rain. I had the wonderful idea of using the submerged pump and redirecting the water from the filter box to fill a couple of builders black bins (no longer used for storing the chicken feed) positioned down in the garden instead of wasting the water. The yellow pipe I had acquired from a work clearout seemed like a good idea - it had a 5 inch diameter, and easily over 15 metres long. After setting it up, I switched the pump on and listened to the water rushing down the pipe - the pump in theory can pump about 4500 litres per hour (just under a 1000 gallons) - when next minute the lid I had used to hold in place the pipe hanging over into the bin blew off with such force and knocked the bin over. Quite spectacular to see - I rushed down into the garden to lift the pipe up but first, the weight of water in the pipe was now too heavy to try and sit on the bin rim unaided, and secondly as I lifted the pipe up, back pressure sent a fountain of water cascading over the patio at the other end of the pipe. The only way to fill the bin was to lean it over sideways and hold on to it ... as you can imagine, the bin got heavier and heavier as it filled. Still, I now have 2 lots of water I can use for the garden and potted plants (complete with fish poo and other biological matter so will feed them at the same time)

Meantime, the people whose garden is at the bottom of mine, had decided to dismantle the fence (that I had painted white so that I got more light down by the pergola) and erect a new one except this one is now completely solid (instead of the netting that was on top) to about 10-12 feet high and as my garden is south facing, now takes all the light off that end. And on top of that, they left the old fence panels in my garden (it's their fence!) and also broke my little fence panel that I had erected across the gap in the privet hedge. I'm not very happy. All I can say is thank goodness (i) I hadn't given the old fence a second coating of white paint as planned (I bought the can of paint at Easter) and (ii) had not put the liner down and filled the planned wildlife pond otherwise I'd never be able to reach the fence to paint it. There is now however, a big hole where I had taken soil away for the raised beds and planters so I'm not sure how I'm going to reach the top of the new fence to paint it. I'd like to say "oh well" and see the good side - at least there's a new fence now so I won't have to worry about the old one needing replacement in the future (even though it's NOT my fence) and I might be able to use the old fence panels for projects in my garden - but I'm still very annoyed about the way it was all done. And I'm not sure if my planned wildlife pond will be viable now that there is now no sun reaching it at all.

[Freeranger]

I'm not sure your neighbours are allowed to do any of that LL. If it's your old fence (i.e. should be in your garden for disposal) then they don't have the right to take it down; if it's theirs they don't have the right to leave it on your garden; the new one can only be to 2m without planning permission. I'm not sure how you deal with the transgressions though whilst keeping things amicable.
I refuse to believe that things in your garden don't work! You always seem to know what to do about all of it.
Garlic, I've found (if I may make so bold, as a newbie) benefits from a period of frosting. The books say plant in Nov but up here we do it in late winter. This works because the frosts are then followed by gradually warming weather. Usually.
I'm impressed at how much effort you're prepared to go to for your pond and watering. I was pondering (excuse me!) how you could save yourself some of the trouble, because it does sound quite physical. Forgive me if you've already thought these things and discounted them, but:
i1) could you fit a length of overflow into the side wall at your desired maximum? You could put a mesh (tights?) over the end so the fish stay on their side, then run a pipe to the bottom of a water butt, or into a holding pond.
2) I have also this morning been out to buy some bits of guttering and plumbing from Bee & Queue and you'd be surprised how cheap the basic range is. If you could intercept the run-off from your roof, you could collect that in a rain butt and set up a wee gravity feed system down to end of the garden. Not suggesting spending loads, because you could just move your existing stuff to be the staged holding tanks, and maybe recycle as well. If buying bits I think the intercept valve kit is iro £10, and the guttering/pipework etc is iro £1.50/m, though plumbing pipework would be cheaper. I'm sure that filling the top tank with a bucket if you needed to top it up would be easier than carting containers to the farther reaches.
It also occurred that maybe the blocked sunlight could be got around with some old mirrors from Freecycle, or other reflective trickery? Not ideal but may still work in conjunction with the white fence?
I am intrigued by the algae farming idea. Do please keep posting about that, because I'd love to hear how it goes.
The advice about the comfrey roots is very useful as I was about to commit that error. Or try to. I sowed some phycelia that hasn't germinated at all. Not one seedling. I'm hoping it's just late as all the wildflowers are springing into life this week. It could be because the seeds are a little old or the soil was too rich (manure with handfuls of all-purpose chucked over). Who knows.

[Freeranger]

Also, thanks for your thoughts on the grains. I think the problem with them all here is thought to be that we get cool summers rather than the extremes of cold and heat that they'd get in their native homes but I'm still willing to give it a go when I get back on top of the garden. They grow cereal crops, including oats, on the islands and in Scandinavian fjord-sides, so you'd think it would be OK.

[lancashire lass]

Garlic, I've found (if I may make so bold, as a newbie) benefits from a period of frosting. The books say plant in Nov but up here we do it in late winter.

Only some garlic needs vernalization (that is, go through a low temperature period) and tend to be hard necked versions that can withstand extreme cold weather (such as in Russia, Canada, northern Europe) whereas garlic normally grown in warmer climates do not. You can grow hard necked garlic in milder climates by leaving the garlic bulbs in a fridge for several weeks before planting (the temperature should be below 8oC to be successful) I did plant all the bulbs in November but we did have an exceptional "mild" winter though I don't think this had an effect - all started to grow but I think my garden is just too shaded and they need full sun, and secondly, I suspect the contents of the soil/compost did not have all the required nutrients to sustain growth. I am finding the same happening with my onion sets - all started off really well but of late, I'm not impressed and think they are just not getting enough light. The earlier growth was probably due to using up the food stored in the small bulb and light levels were highest before the trees started to grow leaves.

I'm impressed at how much effort you're prepared to go to for your pond and watering. I was pondering (excuse me!) how you could save yourself some of the trouble, because it does sound quite physical. Forgive me if you've already thought these things and discounted them, but:
i1) could you fit a length of overflow into the side wall at your desired maximum? You could put a mesh (tights?) over the end so the fish stay on their side, then run a pipe to the bottom of a water butt, or into a holding pond.
2) I have also this morning been out to buy some bits of guttering and plumbing from Bee & Queue and you'd be surprised how cheap the basic range is. If you could intercept the run-off from your roof, you could collect that in a rain butt and set up a wee gravity feed system down to end of the garden. Not suggesting spending loads, because you could just move your existing stuff to be the staged holding tanks, and maybe recycle as well.

In a well designed pond, I should have installed a bottom drain. The only problem (and concern!) is that my pond done on the cheap has a pond liner so the risk of the seal producing a leak is high. Like-wise if I tried to install an overflow into the side wall. However, I have learned from the experience and my next fish pond project (wayyyy into the future) will be built differently - the overflow idea is also a way of skimming off surface debris so keeps the pond water clean (leaves cause water to go brown with tannins that leach out)

My waste pipe from the roof is in my neighbour's side (and it stops short so water from the pipe lands on their conservatory roof and then trickles into the gutter into their drain) During normal rain it copes okay but during heavy downpours the water from the conservatory gutter spills over like Niagara Falls but at least it lands in their garden and not mine. I have considered setting up grey water redirection from the kitchen and bathroom but it's not straight forward and will need a filter system using gravel beds and planting up. For now I'll stick with the current set up.