Big Green Purse Tip of the Day – Get “Free” Water
Posted on April 22, 2008 by
We’ve been talking a lot about gardening, and so have a lot of other bloggers this spring. It’s exciting! There’s something wonderful about digging in the dirt (even if it’s just in a pot on your balcony) and watching seeds sprout. Last year, I refused to water my lawn. I wasn’t going to waste the water. It looked a little brown for awhile, but it all came up green this year. No harm done. But now that I have a veggie garden, I’m going to have to get out there to water on a regular basis, and water conservation is definitely a concern.I love the suggestion for “Free” water in Big Green Purse:”According to Gardener’s Supply Company, just a half inch of rain falling on a thousand-square-foot roof will yield three hundred gallons of water. For a modest-sized house, say 30 x 36 feet, with a typical roof overhand, a half inch of rain would yield about 408 gallons of water.”The book recommends using a rain barrel to collect the water that drains from your roof, and warns that it’s important to get one with a tight fitting lid to keep it from becoming a breeding spot for mosquitoes.Big Green Purse recommends checking out the rain barrels at gardeners.com.DIY Network has instructions for making your own. DIY cautions that the water in your rain barrel will not be potable (fit for human consumption), so keep that in mind.UPDATE: Rain barrel water and veggies may not mix — please read this.
Excerpted with permission from Diane MacEachern, author, Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World, www.biggreenpurse.com.Want to get your hands on a copy of Big Green Purse? There’s a givaway!Sign in with a valid e-mail address to comment on the Big Green Purse Tip of the Day posts from Monday, April 21st through Friday, April 25th. For each comment, you’ll get an entry (one per day, please). The giveaway will close on Sunday, April 27th, at noon (Eastern), and I’ll draw a name out of a hat to determine the winner. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 28th. Comments that appear to be spam will not be counted. Good luck!
CONTEST CLOSED — SUNDAY APRIL 27th
I’ve been lusting after those rain barrels at Gardner’s Supply, especially now that this year I’m doubling my garden space.
Ooh! That’s exciting! What are you planting?
So if the water is not potable, should it be used on the vegetable garden? If I don’t want to consume chemicals from pesticides etc then why would it be okay to consume whatever it is that is in the runoff I collect in my rain barrel?
I’ve always wondered this…
i’m catching up, so I’m not sure what the Big Green Purse IS but I want it!
i’ve often wondered – rain has had a bad rap for some time now, ya know, being all acidic or full of chemicals from us humans. i’m all for collecting and reusing it if it is safe…but do I need to boil it first? I guess it doesn’t really matter as i do let rain on my garden (I said let as though I control it, ha!)
Thanks for the tip Allie.
This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to own my own place. I can’t go and mess with the landlady’s gutters, but I’d be willing to mess with my own. Also, I’m trying to be careful not to go broke in the process of being green. But cool idea for the future!
I’ve been interested in this too … when I was little, we always had a big bucket that we used to water the plants outside, and it would be so full after a big rain.
Allie: I’m doing my usually zinnias, dahlias, lilies, and sunflowers, but this year I’m creating a vegetable and herb garden for the first time. I’m very excited : ) . I think I’ll leave a large bucket or two out to collect some rainwater for my flowers at least this year.
I’ve noticed more and more rainbarrel workshops or stores selling them. The fact that some people have to fight their HOAs in order to have and use one really stinks, but more and more communities are fighting back to demand their HOA get involved and advocate them. Especially seeing we are in a severe drought zone!
Here! http://home.comcast.net/~leavesdance/rainbarrels/safety.html
After reading this, I’m thinking of maybe putting out buckets when it rains and collecting some water that doesn’t drain from the roof for the veggies and then using the barrel water for the lawn, to wash the car, etc.
I don’t have gutters…..how do I collect the water?
That’s a really efficient way of using water. Imagine how much water would be saved if everyone used rainwater!
Once I have a place of my own, I’m planning on installing a cistern water harvesting system. Down here in the desert (Tucson) it’s just not responsible to use potable water on landscaping.
Brenda — Try just putting out buckets when it rains, cover them after the rainfall to avoid mosquitoes and then use the water as needed.