Over the past few years, several states have experienced extreme spells of summer drought.
Drought, accompanied with intense summer heat, brings on the water restrictions and water restrictions bring on dehydrated plants and soil.
One way to avoid water restrictions and fees – and dried up plants – is to collect rainwater…when it falls!
Recycle your rainwater by creating a rainwater collection system.
Supplies:
- Several plastic or metal buckets
- Purchase as many buckets as there are gutter downspouts. Make sure they are small enough to fit beneath the downspout, but large enough to collect sufficient rain water. *You can purchase more buckets for other areas too.
- Metal screen sheet(s) to fit over bucket tops.
- Wire cutters or another tool to cut metal screen sheet(s).
- One or more large plastic or metal barrels or trash cans for storage (storage containers require lids).
How to collect rainwater:
- Place a bucket beneath each gutter downspout, for example, one at each corner of the house where the water drains down the gutter from the roof.
- Ensure the bucket is stable and will not tip over. If necessary, dig a shallow hole for the bucket to sit in or secure the bucket by placing rocks along the outside base.
- Cut and secure the metal screen sheet(s) to fit over the top of each bucket. This prevents leaves and other debris from collecting in the buckets.
- After rainfall, dump the rainwater from each bucket into the storage container and cover with a lid. It is extremely important to keep the water covered as stagnant water attracts mosquitoes and other undesirable pests.
- Store buckets and their screens in a dry place to discourage mold and pests, and keep your yard clean.
- When the time comes, fill one of your buckets from the rainwater storage container and water your plants free of charge!
