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16 years ago
March 19, 2009
Rainwater collection system
Though gardening can save you money, be prepared for your water bill to increase significantly if you water your garden the way I did last summer. This year, we're trying something different, and, I think, better for us, the plants and the environment.
Erik installed this rainwater collection system (aka, a 55-gallon barrel with some non-fancy plumbing) that directs the pure, free stuff directly to my garden hose. I especially appreciate that the water is free from additives such as fluoride which are added to protect our teeth. Fluoride is toxic to plants (and to us, really, but we're bigger). I made this little video showing the blue wonder in action.
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7 comments:
Very nicely done. It's great that the barrel being on the second floor means you get to let gravity do the water moving.
Are you worried about the barrel cracking over winter? (I heard it sometimes gets cold in Boston.)
Hey, Tiffany;
Freezing shouldn't be a problem because there's an overflow valve that Erik's routing down the gutter as well, so any excess water has someplace to go. It really does rock. Gravity rocks. Rocks rock.
Dina
i wanted to get a rainbarrel installed for my garden, too... but as i did the research (on the internet, where else?), i found something slightly alarming - rain water from the roof may not be safe for veggies b/c the roofing material may leach dangerous stuff into the water. any thought on this?
by the way, i found your blog today and read every entry! it's wonderful!
Hi, Diane! I'm so thrilled that you found and like my bog, which I terribly need to update. Ironically enough, I was just out transplanting runaway tomatoes from the front gardens to the back.
About your question: I don't know. What's worse? Fluoride, chlorine, lead etc that is in our regular water or the stuff that may run off the roof? The roof is several years old and probably has "aired out" enough, is my though. Besides, the water is only on the roof for a short period of time. But it's a valid concern - I just don't know the answer.
Thanks for reading! I look forward to more of your comments and input.
Best,
Dina
Hi, Diane! I'm so thrilled that you found and like my bog, which I terribly need to update. Ironically enough, I was just out transplanting runaway tomatoes from the front gardens to the back.
About your question: I don't know. What's worse? Fluoride, chlorine, lead etc that is in our regular water or the stuff that may run off the roof? The roof is several years old and probably has "aired out" enough, is my though. Besides, the water is only on the roof for a short period of time. But it's a valid concern - I just don't know the answer.
Thanks for reading! I look forward to more of your comments and input.
Best,
Dina
thanks for your quick response! i see your point about the rain barrels...
by the way, the reason i chose to stay on your site when i first came across it, is not only b/c of the beautiful photography, but b/c i am a novice (this is my 2nd year) gardener and i lived in medford about 10 years ago when i was a student at tufts! :)
yes, please update your blog soon! i'd love to see what else is going on in your yard.
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