Rain Harvest Gardening Tips

This post outlines some tips about how to make a rain barrel or small rain water tank suitable for garden irrigation.

Regardless of where you live and whether your region receives a lot or not enough rain, you can always make use of rain barrels or water tanks. They will act as very useful reservoirs for water storage, helping you keep things under control with your irrigation needs. You really don’t have to spend far too much money on rain barrels, you can do quite a bit by simply finding a lot around a local junkyard or even making some of your own.

The following tips will provide you with more information on how you can get things done:

• Using a large garbage barrel is one way you can handle things. You don’t really need much to make it happen, just look for a really big water bucket around your home. All you must do is attach a tap to it by drilling a hole under it, then mounting it in a good position and you’ll have a perfect water barrel with minimum resources.

• You can also use a PVC container to get the job done as well. The most common type are some pretty large blue bins meant for conventional water storage. You can use them outdoors as well, thus making a pretty good rain barrel as well. If you connect them to a generator, then you will have a perfect way of moving the water to a new destination or even from underground reservoirs if that is to your liking. It will take some work, but it makes for one very useful addition to your garden.

• Another option is to use a gallon plastic barrel to create a system between the barrel and its irrigation area. You will need a few things if you want to pull it off successfully, such as a male and female hose threads, a plastic adapter and said plastic gallon. You can hook them up together for an excellent solution to your water transfer needs.

• You can also use a trash can as a rain barrel if you go about it in a more creative way. Its cheap and it can be done with a minimum amount of work. All you will need is some PVC plumbing and electrical fittings. You will need a very large trash can with a lid, some lumber to create a stand for it, steel lags, glue, a male and female electrical conduit adapters, PVC coupler and you’ll have what you need. You will need the adapters so you can insulate the elbows of the pipes without leaking, alternately you can use plastic pipes all over if you feel its a better choice.

• The simplest rain barrel you can make can be made of a regular water container, trash bin or anything else with a total capacity of at least 50 gallons. Make sure you have a good lid for it so you won’t suffer a million mosquitoes making their home inside. Put it on some bricks and make an opening so you can take the water out whenever you need to, as low as you can make it near the bottom. Install a valve and you’ll have a perfect rain barrel for your overall needs. The experts from Gardening Services Chelsea can do everything from patio cleaning to garden design.

Source: Guest post by Heather Roberts

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