Recycling Rain

In our continual quest to reduce our global footprint, my wife and I are always looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. Thus, it was only a matter of time until we decided to do just that with something we don’t pay for, we don’t think a lot about, and that is usually associated with cats and dogs: the rain.

As beginner gardeners, we made sure to water what we planted, making certain that our flowers and shrubs would grow and blossom. After a while, we noticed that we were using more clean water to do so, increasing our water usage and our monthly water bill. After some quick research, we found that a rain barrel would supply more than enough water for our landscaping needs. We decided to act.

During our investigation, we found out that even though the earth is 2/3 water, only 3/10 of one percent is suitable for domestic use – and here we were dumping it on our plants. Flowers and trees like rain; why not give them more of it?

The first step was to get the big barrel. Some city governments appreciate folks who are lessening the city’s overall water use, and you can call and get a free barrel delivered to your house. Nashville had already distributed its barrels for the year, so we turned to eBay, where we found a supplier selling used barrels that had been cleaned and were now suitable for collecting rainwater. Ours was once used to haul pickles across the ocean. As soon as it was FedEx’d to our doorstep, we were ready to go.

The barrel came complete with a how-to guide, and it was easier than I imagined to set up. A spigot attaches near the base, an overflow attachment is near the top to connect a hose, and the top has holes to collect water. A mesh screen keeps the mosquitoes away, but we also recommend getting repellent pellets to drop in the water for added protection.

To collect the water, you need to place the barrel directly in the path of a downspout on a gutter. We sawed ours in half, added a flexible run-off attachment, and aimed it at the top of our barrel. We were now ready for rain – 80 gallons of it.

Although that seems like a lot, an inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof can produce 6,000 gallons of rainwater. That’s why you have an overflow hose. So, it rained, our barrel filled with water, and we were ready to stop using treated water on our hydrangeas and marigolds. And because we’ve got LOTS of water and the barrel fills again with each downpour, we can give our pretty flowers a little extra water for those hot summer days and not spend any money or use any precious resources.