1 rain barrel build for your garden, no pump needed

Catching rainwater starts with the roof you already have.

A 1,000-square-foot roof sheds about 600 gallons in a one-inch rain. Most of that runs off the gutters and soaks into the yard.

You don't need a pump or a contractor to keep some of it. The starter setup is one barrel and a small piece of hardware that taps into your downspout.

Put the barrel up on blocks so it sits level. Gravity does the rest. A plain garden hose can water your beds or fill a livestock trough, even when the power's out and the well pump sits quiet.

One note for this time of year. If you already run barrels, drain them before the first hard freeze so the plastic doesn't crack.

I've laid out the four build steps in order in the guide, plus the kind of container to look for if you're starting from scratch.

Start with one barrel. You can always add more once you've seen a season's worth of rain come off your own roof.

See the rainwater harvesting build steps →

Talk soon,

James Thornton
Homesteading.com