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 Now we come to the heart of he rainwater harvesting system: Storing the rainwater you collect for use in dry times.
• Barrels — There are several great water storage barrels available from specialty garden .
Or you can build your own using for constructing a rain barrel.
• Placement — Whether you make barrels or buy them, they need to be placed properly.
Locate barrels under a downspout that's also close to the thirstiest parts of your garden.
Dig out a 4-inch-deep area the length and width of the cinder block base. Fill the area with 1/4-inch pea gravel. This makes a base to help you level the cinder blocks and drain away water to keep your foundation dry.
The higher you can raise the barrels, the better the water pressure will be. Raising the barrels up also gets the spigot higher off the ground so you can get a watering can under it.
• Capacity — Of course, you can only store the total gallons of water your rain barrels hold times the number of them you have.
Still, the system in the illustration, using three, standard 55-gallon drums, has 165 gallons of water ready and waiting to give the garden a drink when other supplies might not be available.
The more water you can store, the better. Short lengths of hose can be attached to individual barrels to link them together and boost the capacity of your system. And they can be added over time as you see how much water your garden needs.
• Overflow — During heavy rains, there may be some overflow from the barrels. The 4-inch layer of gravel under the cinder blocks, as in the illustration, will divert this water away from your foundation. Or you can install an overflow port near the top of the barrel and attach a hose to divert excess water out to the garden.
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Collection Area | Transportation System | Harvesting Rain Water
Barrels Sources | Build your own
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