A rain barrel is a useful addition to any backyard garden. In addition to reducing the water bill and the drain (couldn't resist the pun) on the local water system, it provides a superior water source for the garden. Water from a rain barrel will not contain chlorine, which can reduce the beneficial microbe levels in the soil. It will also be warmer than the water from the tap, which will help warm the garden's soil for faster plant growth early in the year when the ground hasn't warmed up yet. Note that too much heat can scald plants. A black barrel in full sun is a bad idea. Ideally a barrel should be in a shaded to partially shaded location. Another nifty feature is that when on vacation, the valve to the barrel can be left open. This will water the garden fully with even a brief, light rain shower because the large square footage of a roof will amplify the rainfall.
We installed a rain barrel in our garden and in a customer's garden this year. Each came with a drain spigot on the bottom, an overflow hose at the top, a screen covered opening at the top, and a manual shut off valve for the drain hose. The screen covering the opening at the top is to keep mosquitoes and debris out of the barrel. Both were installed under existing rain gutter downspouts on concrete blocks to raise them up for increased water pressure. Our barrel (pictured up top) needs to be raised some more. The downspout in our garden was cut to fit. In the customer's garden (pictured right), we removed the whole downspout and replaced it with a flexible plastic tube that allowed us to position the rain barrel around the corner from the downspout. We connected these barrels to soaker hoses installed in the garden. If you choose to install a rain barrel, please make sure that it is stable. No one wants to read about a 400 pound barrel of water being pulled over on a child.
When it rains, we shut the valve to the garden off and collect water for later use. During prolonged dry periods, we fill the barrel up with tap water in the morning, giving it all day to warm up and dissipate chlorine. Just before bed, we open the valve and let it water the garden all night. Watering at night has the added advantage of reducing water loss from evaporation, allowing more water to get to the plant's roots. This method has worked reasonably well for us. The only issue we have found is that dust from the roof gets washed into the barrel. While the dust poses no threat to a garden, it does begin to clog the tiny pores in the soaker hose after a few waterings. What works for us is to water with pressurized water from the tap every 2-3 waterings. This opens the pores back up allowing the relatively low pressure from the rain barrels to work again.
If pressurized water is not near the garden, there are a couple of workarounds. A water wand
can be used to manually water each plant. The other option is a first flush diverter
that will discard the first bit of rainwater that comes from the gutter. The theory is that after the rain has fallen sufficiently to clean the roof, the diverter begins to send the cleaner water to the barrel. We have not gone this route, but are considering it.
can be used to manually water each plant. The other option is a first flush diverter that will discard the first bit of rainwater that comes from the gutter. The theory is that after the rain has fallen sufficiently to clean the roof, the diverter begins to send the cleaner water to the barrel. We have not gone this route, but are considering it. To increase water catch and storage capabilities, multiple rain barrels can be linked together with short hoses. If linked at the top of the barrels, they will fill in a chain reaction as one barrel overflows into another and then into another. This requires a drain valve in the bottom of each barrel to be able to use the water. A better method is linking them at the bottom, which will cause each barrel to fill at the same time and drain at the same time. This allows just one drain valve in one barrel to draw water from all of the barrels. All barrels should be on the same level or maximum capacity will not be reached.
A rain barrel is a fairly simple device that can be built for much less cost than the $75+ that they go for on the market. We suggest looking for empty pickle/olive barrels as these are food grade and have a screw top that can easily be fitted with a piece of window screen. Here is an example of a converted pickle barrel. You may wish to paint the exterior of the barrel for increased UV resistance, longevity of the plastic, and blending into the landscape. Use high quality brass fittings and semi-rigid overflow/barrel connection hoses and you will have a superior barrel for less than the cost of buying a commercial one.
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