The recent spring downpours have got me thinking how I need to get a rain barrel.... Whenever I see water flooding down the sidewalk, I think of how much great water is going to waste, that I could be saving for my summer garden! We never know what the summer is going to be like, but based on this spring so far, many people are worried about the possibility of an extremely hot summer, meaning extra water will be a necessity for the garden.
Rainwater harvesting systems channel rainwater from a roof into a storage tank via an arrangement of gutters and pipes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)When you think about it, every time it rains you’re missing an opportunity. Hundreds of gallons are going into the soil, saturating plants that don’t need any more hydration (or worse, down the gutters and sidewalks and into the sewer system). It’s being wasted. However, if you harvest your rainwater, you can put it to great use. Harvested rainwater can be used to water your garden between rains, to wash cars and for other uses.
Harvesting your rain water does more than help the environment. It can save you money too. According to estimates, a typical garden can consume about forty percent of your household water bill in the summer! Harvesting your rainwater can save you thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars. A simple rainwater harvesting system is easy and inexpensive to install. You’ll earn your money back in no time.
Tips and Ideas to Harvest Your Rainwater
Decide what type of system you want to utilize. A few simple rain barrels in your yard will capture rain. You can use this water to tend to a garden, water your lawn and other basics. If you want to get a bit more advanced you might create a system to collect the rain from your rooftop.
Again, this system can be quite basic. You might simply position rain barrels under your downspouts. Thus the water from your rooftop will go into the barrel rather than the ground.
Rainwater tank (Photo credit: Wikipedia)You can simply place a rain barrel under each downspout. Or you might choose to reroute the water on your roof to one large collection barrel. You might choose to use an old barrel to collect the water. However, they do make rain barrels that have a number of features. Many barrels designed specifically for collecting rainwater have:
* A mesh top to reduce debris. Debris can wash off of your rooftop into the barrel. It can also fall from trees or be blown into the barrel. This debris can rot or block the faucet attachment.
* A faucet attachment. Some rain barrels have a faucet attachment or two. This makes filling a bucket quick and easy.
* A hose attachment. A hose attachment is helpful for two reasons. The first is that you can run a hose from your barrel to your garden for easy watering. No need to haul buckets of water. Secondly, you can attach a hose to the barrel to prevent overflow. Once the barrel is full, a hose attachment at the top of the barrel can prevent it from flowing over. This helps reduce erosion around the base of the water barrel and your home.
You can also get quite elaborate with your rainwater collection system. You can feed the rainwater you collect from your rooftop into an underground tank. This type of system requires a bit more expense and maintenance.
Collecting rainwater is simple, cheap and an effective way to save money, water your garden, and do something good for the environment at the same time. In a few hours you can have your rainwater collection system up and running. Check out your options today.
A Few Rain Barrel Kit Examples:
, for high productivity without the use of any added chemicals. The time-lapse of his garden growing is awesome! Check it out for inspiration on how to create your own garden using sustainable gardening techniques such as rainwater harvesting, bio-intensive growing, and other helpful tips:
