I have a tiny (8X10 Mtrs) urban garden that I have always watered using a watering can with no problems. Then as arthritis and rheumatism got worse I have been unable to use the watering can as not only is it hard on my hands, wrists and shoulders it is hard on my knees making repeated trips to the tap impossible.

I don't have an outdoor tap which would make my life so much easier so I decided to set up a solar powered hose pipe.

I have made it so that it can be dismantled during the winter and stored away as my small garden is filled with a larger wood store for the colder months.

Step 1: What You Will Need

A downpipe in the area you wish to keep your barrels that fill the barrels when it rains - mine is from the guttering on the side of my house
Water barrels - I have two joined with a small pipe
Hose pipe
Solar panel - mine is 20 watts
A solar panel regulator - I got a cheap £6 one online that works perfectly
Submersible water pump - I bought one that is used for pumping water in a caravan for £11 online. Mine didn't come with an inline switch, so I cut a wire off something else that had one and patched it onto the pump that I was using
Car battery
I hide my barrels behind a trellised planter as they are quite unsightly but you can buy nice green ones that look a little better than the ones I have.

Step 2: Put Together the Set Up

Firstly I screwed the wires into their correct places on the solar power regulator.

The other end of the solar power panel wires are already wired into the solar panel.

Next I attached the hose pipe to the water pump. I had to remove the screw on ends that I had used the year before as they did not fit on the new pump I had purchased.

Once attached drop it into your water barrel. Once it is in your water barrel, switch on the switch and water will be pumped out of your hose and you can water your garden, or use the water for whatever you need it for.