To save water and cut down on your water bill you may want to start harvesting rainwater to water your garden and yard. Since rainwater is pure, you can even drink it. moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules
Excellent point! I collect rainwater for the plants by simply leaving a bucket under the spout of the gutters. When the rain is gone and everything is dry, I can use it to water the yard or indoor plants. I'm not so sure about drinking it thought. Sacramento (where I live) often suffers from smog, during the summer especially. Does this make the rainwater less healthy for humans?
Rainwater is great for plants, but untreated, not for human consumption. It comes off your roof! We have three 250 gal. containers, two off the barn and one off the garage. We also have two 55 gal. barrels. In Texas water is gold, and I have a gold mine! Here's the barn set-up: rainwater harvesting ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) The large white cubes at each end of the barn are fiberglass containers set on concrete blocks and a wooden framework. If you have guttering, you can have a rain collection system. Just put a plastic barrel under the downspout, and there you go!
Jane those are awesome water containers. I don't think I would drink rainwater, either, without treating/filtering it, unless I was desperate.
Timely topic. We just purchased 2 rain barrels from a "big box store". They are quite attractive, look like large stone urns, about 4 feet tall. Now, we just need the rain.
We collect it for watering as well but not for consumption, and not for the pond. When we built the koi pond we put it under roof, rain was one of the reasons. Here our rain is acidic and will crash the pH in a pond quickly, that would kill the fish, so I wanted control over what went into that pond. But I agree 100% with conservation and making the most of nature's bounty. Including what falls from the sky.
