💧Best Ways to Collect Rainwater 

Wonderful idea thank you and best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪

@@markirish7599 Thank You from the US !!! 😀.🇺🇸

Brilliant!

Thanks for the great idea!

Nice one Karen!

Haha yes, let's dive straight in :)

Glad it's appreciated Tyler - great (if messy) fun making it!

You're doing a fantastic job saving water Bryan. Here in the UK we take water for-granted, but it's still worth saving what you can. Your efforts are incredible!

Great advice, thank you. :-)

But this is the same acidic rainwater that falls on the soil is it not? . . . .

⁠​⁠@@TRPGpilotyea idk what this guy is talking about. If there’s wild vegetation in your immediate area and in your city then your water is fine. If the rain was that bad then everything in your area would be noticeably contaminated or dying

Could you post a picture please as I can’t visualise what you mean. 🤔 thanks.

@@pattaylor719 I don't think it's possible to post pictures in RU-vid comments. At least I've never seen any, and I see no way to add them. When it rains, water tends to drip mainly from the corners of the roof. If your roof doesn't have a gutter, just put the rain barrel under one of the corners to catch that water.

@@Beaguins thank you, I’ll try that. We haven’t had any rain yet but when it comes I want to get as much of it as I can!

Cheers Richard!

Thanks for the sub Sonia, and so pleased you've found us!

Just collect it all and water the tree individually

Your tree, if outdoors in the natural environment and exposed to direct rainfall will never be affected by you collecting rainwater. That's very strange that you think it would. Same as those restricted parts of the world that think that they need to regulate collecting rainwater because some Jack downstream of you has a water claim lol

You are bottling rain water, no some t 'mother nature'. What does that phrase even mean?

Absolutely - rainwater's the best! I hope you get some good rains soon.

@GrowVeg We finally did ! Now both containers full again, thank the Lord. Still having loads of tomatoes to harvest !

Yes his garden is beautiful , have a nice day to you

Thank you! It's lush and green, but pretty 'wild'! Love watching the wildlife enjoying it, I'm very lucky.

That's really great to be using water with care like that.

Glad this was useful. Well done on collecting so much rainwater!

Any way you can collect water is good.

So pleased it's given you a few ideas Tarra. :-)

Thanks very much! 😀

£20 for an IBC tank is amazing value!

I have been using 80lt black old style Bins for my water, about 8pounds each.I then link them with a siphon usually an old hose

Excuse my ignorance, but what is an IBC tank?

@@yogawithrosie3805 "Intermediate bulk containers" it is a square shaped plastic tank with an inlet at the top and a tap at the bottom, they are used throughout industry to store everything from syrup to paint, they are generally 1000 Litres in capacity...Steve...😃

Some great ideas there @Green Side Up!

That's a great way to conserve water. It's usually advised to use 'ecological' products when using grey water in the garden. Clearly your plants are thriving on it.

You can never have enough water storage Fiona - it's a wonderful asset.

Thanks for watching Michael. :-)

I think IBCs are the way to go - so much volume and should last a reasonable time before they run low.

Great idea, and best of luck with your project.

“Il pleut comme vache qui pisse", isn't that what you French say?

It's been a funny year for weather all over Europe I think Val.

That's a huge capacity!

What a genius way of collecting water. :-)

I do the same in my backyard! I have a patio table in my backyard where I work with my plants. I noticed how much water was dripping off of it when I watered my plants. The ground is not flat so it tilts naturally. I put several 5 gallon buckets there when it rains and I collect quite a bit!

How do you filter for drinking?

It's great to reuse every drop of water you're able. Very satisfying!

@@GrowVeg yes, I think so too. Its something everyone can do and help safe water. Hope you and your garden are doing well! Have a great day 🙋🏼‍♀️

Always worth catching all you can, for sure. :-)

Haha - hello to you Ian! Hope you’re very well and thriving! 😀👍🙌🙌

@@GrowVeg I am thank you. It's funny , not thought much about that time but seeing you brought back some great memories and also a sense of pride when I saw what you have achieved

That’s great to hear Andrew. Plenty stored up for summer. 😀

And with the help of your garden planner am all set up

Smart thinking there Mr Larry!

Nice one Neil. Very satisfying to harvest and use your own water.

That sounds like a great idea. I've never done this myself but in theory this should work just fine. Great to be storing and using more rainwater!

I intend to use a drip system with mine. I have a quick overview on my channel and next year will make a video of the setup that I use for the intended drip irrigation system.

Yes last year I only had one slim line water butt and it would last me about 3 weeks, thankfully fate was lucky to me. I ended up kind of inheriting one and got another on a deal from a new store that opened in town. My garden is pretty small 12"6' x 30" I now have 2x240l off the main roof & 1x110l off the shed. My colleagues thought I was mad, taking a day off work before a storm to sort my butts out! However all went well, and they all got a good fill, by the end of the second storm they were all filled :) thankfully I haven't ran out of water yet, & supplies have lasted through out the dry parts of this year so far. I have also increased my growing area to 4 raised beds. (built after sorting the water storage out) All Hugely motivated by this fabulous channel to btw ! :) It is definitely worth keeping an eye out for offers on places like freecycle, and asking colleagues / neighbours / allotment holders etc. Your local council may even do a special offer with a local store. However if you prefer an upmarket (positively gorgeous looking water butt) or even more specialised options like tanks check out www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk - I get some connectors from there to.

You've been busy Caroline - nice work! And how often can someone say they've taken a day off work to sort their butts out!

@@GrowVeg 😂

Wall mounted!!! 😍

Six months of drought and heat is tough, I do sympathise.

It's a beautiful thing - a freshly harvested haul of onions.

Smart move! :-)

Great idea!

Thank you :-)

I just keep a lid on my water barrels to keep most of the light out and bugs too. The water always seems lovely and clear to me.

I am assuming you are on a water meter ?

@@w.dossett3332 Yes I am. Water is expensive here on the Isle of Wight.

That genius Steve - and such a saving!

I think that most areas are now cottoning on to the value of gardeners saving their own water. Restrictions seem to be a lot less these days than perhaps a decade or so ago.

Could it be that the water companies can’t make any money from you?

I'm no expert, but I did grow up in the western United States (where I'm assuming most of these restrictions are) and the fear is that people will collect enough water to affect the amount flowing downstream. California has always been dependent on water flowing from Colorado, Arizona, ect, and so they developed strict legal agreements and safeguards to ensure that water remains "theirs". There's a ton of politics that factor in, and banning rainwater collection is just a small part.

@@rachelhouldridge9191 They always hammer the little guy.

@@rachelhouldridge9191 Well, at least that makes sense. Thanks for sharing some insight!

I had open top rain barrels and solved the mosquito problem by adding a couple of gold fish to each barrel.They became quite proficient at eating mosquito larvae and any other bugs that entered the barrels.

Rainwater should be safe to use - it shouldn't have any residues in it. Great news you've got earthworms on your team!

Wow - that's a superb result!

Well done on collecting so much beautiful rainwater - it's a precious resource!

@@GrowVeg it is. I've only discovered recently that some plants prefer rain water too. I am thinking about using a tarpaulin attached to clothes drying line and 2 chairs & seeing if the flexi tubs may fill.

Hi Elaine. A warm welcome to you! Yes, ideally you want to keep the water collection barrel covered. Must water butts come with a lid, so this is already taken care of. You don't need to add anything else to the water - just use it when you need it. Very best of luck with your new garden!

@@GrowVeg thank you so much for replying that is very helpful

Some clever thinking there Paul - glad you've got plenty of water now.

Ditch the lawn and plant some local wild flowers and grass, your soil will thank you and you won't need so much water.

Lots of water storage there Richard, good work!

Yes, that may not be practical. It's a shame you can't install some gutters - it would harvest so much rainwater.

I was amazed to hear that in the video. Some people think it's bad enough here in the UK that some water companies put you on a meter and charge for the water you use - up to a few years ago, you could use as much water as you liked for a fixed charge. Since bringing in meters, people have started to think more carefully about water usage e.g. for washing cars and sprinkling lawns,

Tell them it belongs to the almighty and he can bill you directly if he wants.

@@yogawithrosie3805 After problems with my water company (refusing to install a meter) I refused to pay them anything until the situation was resolved. They put me on an assessed charge tariff that works out about half of the rateable value charge. You can actually refuse to have a water meter fitted, not sure what the situation is if ones already installed.

That’s insane . I harvest rain water for my garden . And nobodies going to tell me I can’t. It’s allowed in my state. Rain water does not belong to the water utility company. It comes from the sky for anyone to use.

It seems astonishing that that's the case Nic. I heard it was illegal in some states, but most seem to see the value in saving rainwater to reduce mains water consumption.

Ideally they'd be in the shade, but if you can keep the water covered then it's fine in the sun too.

It sounds like you're doing all you can to save water. Top work!

I've seen IBCs used for water collection for irrigation in many places, so I'm sure it would be fine to use. I guess maybe check what was in it before - and wash really thoroughly if necessary to remove any traces if needed.

I would think washing them out and thoroughly rinsing them should make them good to go.

I would say it's highly likely to be safe to use. Just be sure to wash vegetables if you're harvesting them soon after watering with harvested rain water.

Thank you

I have plastic rain barrels and, while winters aren't that severe here, they do freeze completely solid at least once or twice in the winter. I guess the main thing is to make sure there is some room at the top of the barrel for the ice to expand. Usually a loose-fitting lid will do just fine. The barrel I have is the one you see in the video by the greenhouse.

Also you can thermoisolate it with foam or other type of insulation

I have hooked up 6 55 gal barrels that very way, with a small hole at the top to let the air out as it fills. Been in use 10 years. I drain them for winter. My only problem is due to droppings and debris on the roof, the water gets smelly. I have a short term fix by adding chlorox to the front barrel and letting it disperse thru the others. Looking for better solution, with little cost.

@@richardpowers4932 ive put mesh filters in my down pipe and fashioned a S trap for over flow into my dip tank ,and its working fine with nice clear water x

I just keep my water barrels covered and shaded so that there are fewer mosquitos and algae etc. The water is generally pretty clean and clear as a result.

Good question Tom. I get mosquitoes in my water too but kind of just put up with it! That said, I imagine a mild addition of chlorine would probably be okay - after all the mainswater from the facet is usually treated with a little chlorine. My thinking is that when you water, the chlorine would quickly evaporate off and so shouldn't cause an issue. But it may be worth reading around a little more, just to be sure.

Search 'rain barrels' and also 'water butts' (which is what they're called in the UK).

I haven't, no. But that's an interesting one. I'm not sure how that would work to be honest, but perhaps worth a try.

It may well have enough pressure, but my main concern would be that the barrels might quickly run dry with such an extensive system. And you are right that the lack of pressure may be an issue. It's hard to know how the pressure might play out but if you already have the system I'd certainly give it a go, but might be wary of buying a new system to try.

​ @GrowVeg Thanks for that i forgot to mention there is a constant water supply available for topping up if required.Drip systems are cheap enough if you do a little research so i think i'll give it go.thanks again.@@GrowVeg

I have a slimline water butt which collects off half of my 6ftx4ft apex shed using a mini gutter half kit (kit from Screwfix). I don't have a drain nearby, so have put gravel down below and ensured that if it does overflow it flows onto the gravel which runs away downhill UNDER my shed - which is on raised plinths. It took 2 storms in Nov 2020 to fill it. If it likely to be very wet / storm, then I could run a pipe from the overflow to a large bucket / trug / bin to collect more water, but as yet I haven't needed to. Hope this helps ?

If there's no risk to foundations, the water can just be left to overflow from the top.

Peg into the ground and fix wood to peg downpipe to wood

Possibly, but you can never be certain. It may contain agricultural or chemical runoffs, which aren't ideal.

Storing water on site is such a wise move and would really help alleviate pressures on local water supplies. It makes no sense to remove subsidies for this! I hope this doesn't stop you installing your storage.

@@GrowVeg Great thing is around here many people upgrade their setups. I'll nab a good quality tank for cheap. It only has to water plants/garden.

Good question Krista. I imagine the amount of runoff of any treatment in any given volume of water is very minimal given how much water would be collected over the years.

@@GrowVeg I’m such a huge fan, and I’ve learned SO much from your channel that I’ve put into practice this year - thank you SO much for all of this great information, inspiration, and your fun, simple approach! 💕

I think it would be fine to use this rainwater on edibles.

@@GrowVeg Great, I wasn't sure with whatever made shingles, the paper they're laid on, etc if that would somehow leach bad stuff into the water (I know the water is only on the roof for a brief period of time)

I guess you would need some sort of pump to get it from down below to up onto the roof.

My outside tap is connected to 7,000 litre underground water tank that fills from my roof, and it's the only thing I've used, and not noticed any problems. It might be true if you have a very open tank, but not in all cases?

I am not able to clean it out, as it's buried deep under the garden. Maybe it's too dark for anything to develop down there.

@@wcndave You are the envy of many a gardener David!!

Yes, I avoid rainwater for watering sensitive seedlings early on in spring. I find it's less of an issue later in the season once it's warmer and plants grow quickly. Someone else spotted my mistake with translating US gallons to imperial - gutted I made such a glaring error!

The restrictions really apply for very large water harvesting projects. In almost all cases rain barrels would be fine. Rain barrels are widely available - e.g. www.amazon.com/s?k=rain+barrel&crid=T5G9K0OAXSLV&sprefix=rain+barrel%2Caps%2C202&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

@@GrowVeg thank You