The Gardener's Best Friend - The Simple Rain Barrel

When your garden has an unlimited supply of water, you really are very lucky. In many areas, water might be rationed during certain times of the year which is just not good for the plants. This is quite aggravating for many people but there are others who look for other ways to water their plants. You will notice that you can actually conserve water while you still have a flourishing garden. There are lots of ways to keep your garden from dying out such as using compost or mulch to help retain moisture in the ground.

One more possibility is to group plants based on the amount of water they need so that water can be focused on plants that need more. Drip irrigation is yet another option where water lines with small holes slowly drip water at the roots of the plants. These particular measures are amazing during periods of droughts. Because most droughts are usually predicted far before hand, when the rain falls beforehand, what you do can save your garden.

A well prepared person will set up a few rain barrels to collect some of the rain water. The foolish gardener will think it really is a lot of effort and a waste of time, so won't do anything. When you've the rain receptacles in place, it requires very little work, and you can get many gallons of water. The hardest part may be finding the rain barrels, but you can use garbage cans, or 55 gallon drums that are plastic from the local home improvement store. These might be fairly expensive, and brimming with water, they will be hard to move. You will probably need a screen or cover to remove the debris and leaves.

You need to position the barrels in an area of your house where water runs off the most. The best way to capture the water from the roof, is to change your gutter system slightly, so that all of the water from your roof is going to several spots, where you put the rain barrels. This can be done by slanting individual sections of the gutters, to divert the water to the corners. You will be able to catch most of the water that falls on your roof.

This may seem to be a chore to do, but once you get a system, it won't be that bad. This may be the most efficient, and long term cost-effective, way to water your garden during dry times. It is all a component of preserving your garden and keeping it healthy and happy.