ONL043 Installing Rainbarrels to Harvest Rainwater

Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. Additionally, it helps consumers save money by reducing water bills. It may also be healthier for your plants.

In podcast #43, Jon shares some tips he learned while setting up a rain barrel project in our back yard to supply water to our Square Foot Garden . Jon and Cathy discuss several websites related to rainwater harvesting. They also share some tips on how to get information from Our Natural Life from various social networking sites.

While researching rainwater for collection for this show, we were surprised to find that collecting rainwater is illegal in Colorado and in Bolivia . This is because when you divert rainwater from collection by municipalities, you are “stealing” their rights to resell it to you as drinking water.

When installing a rain barrel, you need to decide if you want an open system with rainwater entering an open, usually screened, lid, or a closed system that is sealed from outside contaminants. The closed system prevents breeding of mosquitoes.

Jon bought our barrels from Gutter Water LLC , a company in Georgia that recycles barrels from the food industry. The 55 gallon barrels were only $20 apiece, and by grouping delivery with several friends we shared the $40 shipping cost. He painted the barrels a light tan to match our house and mounted them on cement blocks. He bought a diverter system to help us with our closed system from Rain Reserve . He was very happy with their quality and service. They also have a “Locate a Barrel” link on their site to help you find local sources. With all the rain we’ve had this week, we’ve already filled our barrels!

Click here to view a slide show Jon made of how he built our system. You can also click here to view a video showing how Fine Gardening editor Danielle Sherry built a rain barrel similar to ours for under $50.

Rain barrels can be very simple and functional, like ours, decorative and beautifu l, or quite extensive and costly.

When you harvest the rain to water your plants, you become more aware of the need to conserve water at home. If you are planning on building a home, you may want to consider the inclusion of a graywater recycling system.

Technical Updates: A Primer

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Personal Updates

Our Square Foot Garden is doing well with all the recent rain, and the chicken wire dome is keeping it safe from rabbits this year.  

Cathy enjoyed her very special birthday meal at Restaurant Eugene , with Chef Linton Hopkins. It is Atlanta’s most elegant farm-to-table restaurant. You can find out what Linton is serving from his kitchen by following him on twitter at LH66. Below are some photos showing a few items from our 6 course meal. We are working out a date to interview Chef Hopkins for a future show.

Weston A. Price Foundation Membership Drive

Our Natural Life supports the goals and mission of the Weston A. Price Foundation and is promoting membership to its listeners. Please use the link here to join if you are not already a member. Our goal is to sign up 45 members. This will allow both Cathy and Jon to attend the annual conference in November and to have another conference registration to give away on our show. To be eligible to win, email us to let us know that you have enrolled and listed us as your introduction to membership. There are so many benefits of membership as discussed by Sally Fallon Morrell in show #41. You will be glad that you joined!

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