Does anyone have a rainwater irrigation system?

[Daisygirl]

If you have one, how did you make it? How much did it cost?

I am going to have my first garden this summer. I am on city water which is outrageously expensive. Further, I think it is better for the environment to use as little of the city water as possible for my garden. In the summer here, sometimes they ban using sprinklers on your lawn because of a water shortage.

Thanks in advance!

[BetterLateThanNever]

Hi!

I don't have a rainwater irrigation system but I did look into getting some rainwater collection barrells.

Most garden supply stores sell them or you can look on ebay or amazon. MIght also try entering it into google and see if you can find cheap ones.

Basically it's just a barrell that hooks up to your downspout on your roof gutter system. the water collects and the barrell has a spigot that you can attatch a garden hose and water your plants or lawn. most barrells also have connectors so you can hook up several barrells and the overflow goes from one barrell into the next.

Cost wise they aren't cheap about $60-$70 (US dollars) a piece but what you can save on your water bill could in the long run save you a lot of $$$.


hth
kim

[Daisygirl]

I like the consept of them hooking up to one another but the price --- EEEK!

Does anyone know of a thriftier way to do this?

[momtoadiva]

Do you just do this to regular metal barrels? if so could you get someone that knows how to weld? Could you set up your own design and have them do it less expensively? I dont know much about it but we are putting in a decent size garden and it would benefit us to look into this.

[Laurie in Bradenton]

We have a rain barrel collection system for our nursery. We got the barrels from the oj plant here in our town, Bradenton is the home of Tropicana. They were free. There is some kinda health rule about barrels that hold food products they can't be used over. So there is a good supply. One had a spout already in it.
Our local extension office offers classes in how to set it up. We raised the first catch barrel up on 3 courses of block this put the top at 5 feet high. We took a plastic veggie strainer with a handle and mounted it over the hole to keep stuff out. Then we drilled a hole about 4 inches from the top rim and put in an overflow pipe into another barrel. This barrel had the spigot in it. Next to this one we placed a large trashcan and another overflow pipe that spits out extra into the trash can. The trash can is used to dump the watering can straigh in, pets lick out of, we wash off our hands in it. Buckets are filled in it. When the whole system is over run DH will add fertilizer to the trash can and use it all the same day to keep that water clear.
Try your local freecycle for barrels. Metal may have a rust issue. Check with any large bakerys and your county. Our county sewer deptment gets small 20 gallon blue barrels with diatomais (?sp) earth in it. You can pick them up for free but they have a waiting list.
We have watering restrictions here year round. So our barrels are very helpful. A note of warning. Don't expect the water to come out at the same force as your normal water hose. It won't we use soaker hoses they work well for the slow flow.
Laurie in Bradenton

[Daisygirl]

Thanks, Laurie - I will look into some free sources. So is a heavy plastic the best way to go, then?

And a soaker hose was what I was thinking of. I am picturing that your barrels are sort of stairstepped down from one another, is that right?

[mommy4ever]

We use rainwater too. We collect from the house and garage. The barrels are plastic, we called around and got them free. Dh put on water spouts so I could connect hoses. Then I attached those use, and to the house soaker hoses. I leave the spout on most of the time, as there is minimal pressure, so it's just drops at a time. So it's nice in the scorching heat that the plants are getting water.

Have you read hte book Square Foot gardening? Or Lasagna Gardening? It's about raised beds. Check the library, I love it! I have a couple small beds, but use all the space so it produces a good amount. I was lazy last year and didn't plant at all. I'm going to again this year though. Not sure what i"m planting, but I will. I have a bin full of compost to spread so a years rest and new compost should do it alot of good.

[georgiamama]

Living here in Georgia, with the drought problems and all, I really need to look into this.

Is there a way to collect the rainwater without gutters on the house? We rent so I don't want to go through the expense of putting up gutters.