Shooting Fish In A Barrel – OR – DIY Harvesting Rain Water

Painter Rain Barrel

Over 60 percent of the United States has suffered from drought conditions for the past 2 years. NOAA and the National Weather Service said “2013 does not look for much improvement in these dry weather events”.
Harvesting rain water very well may mean the difference in having a viable productive vegetable garden or having to abandon your garden to the drought.

Tip:Volume of a round storage tank = 3.1415 x R² x H x 7.47 = Volume In Gallons
Where R is the tank radius in feet squared (radius X radius) and H is the tank height in feet
Volume of a round tank calculator

Collecting rain water is easy, saves you many dollars off your house hold water bill and is better for your plants than chlorinated tap water. An inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot roof produces about 600 gallons of runoff rain water. Food grade 50-55 gallon barrels sell from $5.00 to $10.00 larger 275-300 gallon plastic tote containers commonly sell for about $75.00.

Two or maybe three 55 gallon barrels is all most gardeners need to water a patio container garden or even 1 or 2 small raised bed vegetable plots. It is useful for your containers to be raised off the ground at least 16 inches. This allows for easy filling of your sprinkler water can, or
attachment of a garden water hose or a gravity fed drip watering system. Grin … Water will not run up hill! Your collection barrel(s) must be higher than your raised bed or patio pots to work by gravity flow from a water hose.

Water collection barrels are typically fitted with a spigot at its base to fill a watering can or attach a soaker hose (which bleeds out water all along its length, providing effortless drip irrigation), and a filter or screen at its top to prevent a buildup of leaves and other debris and to prevent insects from entering your water collection barrel(s). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a single 100 gallon rain barrel can save up to 1,300 gallons of tap water during the high demand summer months.

If your collection barrel(s) are clear allowing sun light into your barrel, I recommend painting your collection barrel(s). Algae can not grow or reproduce in total darkness, keeping your water barrels algae free. Colored plastic barrels do not need to be painted, but, a nice paint job will allow them to blend into your landscape.

DIY Installing Your Drip Irrigation System A useful how to do it crash course in installing a drip irrigation system.

Rain Water Collecting and Recycling A Town and Country Gardening, Posted on August 17, 2009.

The Drip Store Is a internet mail order store that stocks all the parts you will need to assemble your drip irrigation system. Disclaimer: This link is provided for your convenience. I have had good service and found their products to as advertised. However, before sending money to this or any other internet mail order store, Check them out Before you purchase any products from that store.

Capturing Water from your Roof for Gardening! By: Transition Town Payson, AZ

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