Rainwater collection (e.g.: using rain barrels) has been illegal in Colorado since laws have been here. People who collected rain flowing from their roofs were lawbreakers. Now, however, Colorado lawmakers have made it legal to collect your rainwater and use it for watering your garden.
Use untreated rainwater to water your garden makes good sense. There is no benefit in having chlorinated, cleansed water for our plants - in fact, they like it au natural!
So, this Christmas, I have added the very glamorous item of "rain barrel" to my wish list.
You can buy rain barrels or you can make your own. Read rain barrel making instructions or watch a video courtesy of Lowe's.
Lowe's also sells some rain barrels online, with free shipping:
Some other places to get rain barrels online:
- Eagle Peak containers
- Gardener's Supply company (nice looking selection, but more pricey)
- Great prices at Baytec
- Great selection at Woodland direct
Other simple, inexpensive rain barrel ideas include:
- Buy a garbage bin and place it under your spout. No easy to use spout, but you can just put a pail in and collect the water.
- Try to locate a soft drink bottler in your area. They have big plastic drums for sale here, after they empty the syrup.
- Use old wine or whiskey barrels
- Try Craig's list for old barrels
For winter, I just have some ice cream buckets under some downspouts. As they fill, usually from snow melt, I dump them on my trees. My husband thinks I have gone overboard, but last winter several trees and bushes suffered from the dry winter. This keeps my trees watered over the winter without having to turn on the outdoor water or use up more water. Every time I am outside I just dump the water, very easy!
Buying a rain barrel not only saves the environment, but quickly saves you money on your water bill!
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