Need help with rain barrel watering

I am anxious to cut down on my water bill by using rain water to water my shrubbery and flowers. I am thinking of buying one of those rain collection barrels I've seen at the store (attached to your drain pipe). Is there a way to hook a hose or a soaker up to the bottom of a rain barrel and have it water your plants? I'm thinking that the pressure is greatest at the bottom of the barrel and this pressure might be enough to force the water out through the soaker or hose. Any thoughts here would be most appreciated. Thanks.

I have a rain barrel with a standard garden hose spigot at the bottom. I tried soaker hose with not much success. The bottom of my barrel is only approx. 2 ft above the garden which does not allow for much head pressure but I do get a good flow with a regular garden hose until the water level gets down to about 15 gallons. I use a ball valve which I just crack open to allow a trickle but you have to move it from plant to plant which can get a little labor intensive. They do sell a pump that attaches to the barrel spigot to which you then attach your garden hose but the one I saw cost $250. but it will give you 45 psi and 3 gpm which should be sufficient to allow you to use soaker hose.

Thanks for the info. Do you know where I could get one of those pumps you mention in your post?

Google Green Culture When the site pops up click on rain barrels. When that site shows click on rain barrel accessories.

Thanks, Cyclops . . . . by the way I just noticed you're from Wakefield RI . . . certainly a beautiful spot. . . . . We lived in Barrington, RI for 17 years. We drove through Wakefield to get to Succotash point. We miss the water in Narragansett Bay, but we certainly do not miss the winters up there. We have 4 seasons here in Georgia, plus sunshine all year and plants to enjoy all year. Thanks again to a fellow Rhode Islander.

One thing to think about is whether the rain will be there when you want to use the water. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the rain comes in the winter but you want to water your garden in the summer. The summers are dry which means you won't be collecting any rainwater when you need it. Although a lot of people have rain barrels, the schedule of the rain really limits their usefulness.

Can't you save (not use) the water during the rainy season and then use it (decant it) from your rain barrel during the dry season?

Small world. I have lived here for most of my life moving from Pawtucket in 1960. It was a more tranquil and laid back place back then. These days there are just too many tourist in the summer and too many University of Rhode Island students the rest of the year. The year round population in 1960 was about 10,000 and everybody knew everybody now the population is well over 30,000 and things are not the same. That's progress. The beaches are inaccessible due to overcrowding and now we are running out of water. This is not a gloom and doom posting. It is still a beautiful place as you mentioned. Just different times I guess. If you are ever in the area you are welcome to stop by look at my gardens and have a drink. About the rain barrel. A good heavy thunder storm lasting 1/2 hour will fill my 55 gallon barrel to overflowing. tanowicki is correct in that if you get no rain the system is not of much use. I have a good size veggie garden and we have had very high temps, high 90's to over 100, this week which is pretty unusual and my barrel is almost empty. 50 gallons does not go very far in these conditions and if we do not get rain soon I will have to revert to the Town water supply if they lift the outdoor watering ban. Bottom line is if you do not get a fairly steady supply of rain water you are throwing your money down the drain, no pun intended.

If you recognize the pun, it's intended :)

But you're right about the rain barrel. I've thought about it, but they're so expensive, and what happens during a stretch of 2 weeks with no rain during a S. FL summer? I have to use my hose, anyways. So what's the point?

Everything that's been said is true as far as the water not being there when you need it. Depends on your degree of patience sometimes. I have lots of things in pots, so by hoarding plastic gallon milk cartons, I can fill those up and have a little extra reserve. Makes it easier to water the pots, and no hose to drag. All depends on the proximity of your water barrel to the eventual target. You can also leave a hose permanently attached to the overflow where it will harmlessly reach out to an area that will appreciate the water. I find this a good way to divert water away from the house in my situation. If the barrels are very expensive, you may not want to fiddle around with them. Carefully consider where you would locate one, and the local pattern of precipitation. Also, they do require a bit of maintenance, as stuff tends to grow in them, and the filter on top needs tending to at intervals.