Irrigation for Allotments

WaterMate is built for flexibility and can be built to suit your allotment’s size and requirements. With a solar powered option, you can ensure your plants remain healthy and hydrated between visits. 

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Since WaterMate can handle multiple zones at once, watering different beds or rows becomes much simpler. If you plan on expanding your allotment, you can ensure exceptional care for each plot without additional effort.

Why Smart Irrigation is Essential for Allotments

Allotments give growers the freedom to produce their own food and enjoy time outdoors, but keeping the various plants watered sufficiently can be difficult. 

Many plots have limited access to water or no power on site. Which means, during dry spells, growers may need to visit daily to prevent plants from drying out. This makes allotment care time-consuming and unpredictable.

A smart allotment watering system can change that. Automating how and when your crops are watered keeps soil moisture steady and supports growth between visits. You can rely on consistent watering without being physically present on site every day.

  • Up to 80% Less Water Used

  • Targeted Watering = Zero Waste

  • Reduces Runoff and Overwatering

How WaterMate Works for Allotments

Harvst’s WaterMate is designed to make allotment irrigation simpler and more reliable. It’s an allotment watering system that handles common challenges that growers face, such as limited water access.

It connects to rainwater butts, tanks, or shared taps and delivers precise watering based on soil conditions. Its sensors monitor temperature and humidity levels, automatically adjusting the flow to help you save water and protect the crops.

Here are some of the main reasons why growers love our automatic allotment watering system:

  • Doesn’t require a mains power supply
  • It works with tanks, barrels, or shared taps
  • Protects crops when life gets busy
  • Saves water during hot/dry weeks
  • Reduces stress when you’re on holiday
  • Consistent harvests from evenly watered beds
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Challenges That Automatic Watering Solves

Limited Access: You can water your plants reliably even when you’re not there.

Drought Stress: The smart irrigation system for allotments helps prevent crops from drying out during peak growing seasons.

Water Efficiency: It uses rainwater or shared resources carefully to avoid waste.

Here’s How to Set up Watermate

The Benefits of Automated Watering for Greenhouses

Allotment growers already have plenty to manage, from weeding to planning and harvesting. With WaterMate taking care of irrigation, you can focus more on growing and less on keeping up with watering. Over a full season, this consistency shows clear results.

With WaterMate, you'll see:

  • Improved yield
  • Less bolting in leafy crops
  • Fewer watering-related diseases
  • Easier to expand the growing area

Why Upgrade to Automated Watering? 

Less time spent watering means more time enjoying your allotment. With allotment automatic watering, you can maintain consistency in your watering routine, even during busy weeks or unexpected weather changes.

Automation also helps reduce the stress of managing water manually, using a hose or watering can. It keeps soil moisture balanced, so crops stay healthy and strong throughout the season. This helps prevent diseases that come from overwatering and keeps roots growing well.

Many weekend growers find that automated systems improve the overall productivity of their plots. By keeping watering reliable, your plants develop evenly and produce greater yields over time.

How Smart Irrigation Improves Greenhouse Results

Whether you’re growing tomatoes or exotic flowers, smart irrigation gives you better results with less stress.

Instead of relying on fixed schedules, an automated greenhouse watering system like WaterMate uses sensor data to maintain ideal soil conditions and protect crops from water stress or fungal issues.

When set up correctly, here’s how growers can improve yield quality in their greenhouse using WaterMate:

  • Prevents waterlogging in seedlings
  • Supports high-yield crops like tomatoes
  • Enables reliable propagation from seed
  • Improves flowering consistency

By maintaining balanced moisture and timing each watering cycle accurately, a greenhouse watering system with a timer encourages stronger yields with fewer adjustments.

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What Sets Our Watermate Range Apart?

  • Automated sensor-based irrigation system

  • Genuinely ‘smart’, responding to live conditions

  • Works off-grid - no mains power required

  • The only ‘everything you need in one box’ complete kit

  • Responds to temperature changes, adjusting watering frequency on hot or cool days

  • Uses industry-standard irrigation fittings

  • Most customisable and powerful (WaterMate Pro), irrigation system available 

  • The only system designed and Made in Britain
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Off-Grid and Solar Power Use in Allotments

No mains access on your plot? That’s no issue. The WaterMate solar kit keeps your allotment watering system running steadily without electrical connections. A compact 10W solar panel charges an onboard battery, giving the controller enough power to water for 10 minutes / day during an averagely sunny day in the UK, which equates to 120 litres. Additional solar panels can be added for shady locations, or connected to mains power where available.

Even in changing weather conditions, your plants receive the care they need without extra effort and planning.

Benefits of a Solar-Powered Irrigation System:

  • Operates reliably even in cloudy conditions
  • Charges efficiently using a 10W solar panel
  • Ideal for off-grid allotment plots without power access

Which Allotment Growers Use WaterMate?

Whether you’re new to allotment gardening or managing a larger, off-grid plot, WaterMate makes irrigation simple and reliable. Its smart controls and automatic scheduling give you more time to focus on growing, while ensuring your crops stay healthy.

Allotment newcomers

Set up their first plot and keep crops consistently hydrated without constant supervision.

Off grid growers

Rely on solar power and rainwater for fully independent, automatic irrigation.

Frequent travellers

If you love fresh produce and want your garden to continue thriving when you're on holidays or working away, WaterMate is the ideal solution.

Pensioners

Reduce manual effort while maintaining productive plots with minimal strain.

WaterMate Models & Kit Options For Every Allotment Size

From compact raised beds to full-size allotments, there’s a WaterMate kit to suit your setup. Each irrigation system for allotment comes with clear, step-by-step instructions, with all the parts needed to start watering automatically. It’s also easy to DIY your own set up, or add on extra zones, too. 

Our range is designed to match different growing areas, crop types, and power sources, making it simple to find the right fit for your plot.

  • WaterMate Mini

    Dual zone | Up to 6 m²

    Perfect for raised beds, cold frames, and compact growing areas. WaterMate Mini delivers precise allotment irrigation and supports up to 40 drippers or 12 sprayers.

    Buy WaterMate Mini 

  • WaterMate Pro

    Expandable Multi-Zone | Up to 6 zones

    Built for growers managing multiple beds or wider planting areas. The pro version offers greater pumping capacity (up to 35psi) and has an extended reach. It is ideal for allotments with diverse crops spread across a larger plot. This model covers 20m2 per zone and supports up to 120 drippers or 40 spray points.

    Buy WaterMate Pro 

Product specifications and features are subject to ongoing improvement. For the latest details, please see individual product listings.

FAQs

What crops grow best with Harvst?

WaterMate is well-suited for fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. It supports steady watering across mixed beds and raised areas.

Does it work with water butts?

Yes. WaterMate connects directly to tanks, barrels, or other stored water sources, helping you make the most of collected rainwater.

How long does installation take?

Not long at all. Each watering kit includes clear, step-by-step instructions, all tools required and most users have their system up and running in a morning or afternoon. The pipework is flexible and a top tip is to put the ends into hot water for easy connection to various fittings.

Do I need a timer?

We recommend using WaterMate’s automated timer to ensure that your allotment receives the right amount of watering at the ideal time for improved yields.

What if I don’t have WiFi at my allotment?

Our WaterMate models are fully functional without an active WiFi connection. The bonus of WiFi is that you can check up on the watering schedules and amend them remotely.

What's the best time of day to water an allotment?

Early morning watering, before 10 AM, keeps soil moisture steady and prevents leaf disease. Allotment automatic watering with WaterMate follows this timing to keep crops healthy without extra effort.

Can it handle winters?

Yes, although the control unit should be covered. Part of the manufacturing process is ensuring that Harvst’s solutions are designed to handle changing climates.

Automate Your Greenhouse Watering with WaterMate

Grow with confidence using WaterMate, the reliable allotment irrigation system built for all growing conditions. Designed for flexibility and consistency, our kits help you save time while improving soil health and productivity across every season.

Many growers worldwise already trust WaterMate to simplify allotment care and keep their plots thriving all year. Order your WaterMate and bring smart allotment watering solutions to your growing space today!