Rain barrel systems for strawbale gardens

Hi all. I am hoping to get some perspectives from y'all about the use of rain barrels for strawbale gardening and also containers. Our area is bone dry mid summer to late fall but we do get some good rain, which unfortunately runs off the hard baked clay. If I harvest it, it won't be wasted and I will be all to the good as will my plants.

We don't water the lawn; if she dies, she dies, but I don't feel that way about my flowers and veggies. We are on city system and if you use $15 you have to pay $30 because of the sewer rates.

I realize I can't be totally self sufficient where I live and at this stage in my game but I do intend to make a difference in the way I garden and the way I water.

There are some good sites to check out for rain systems and I have been making plans to get this ready, up and running by spring.

Hope to hear from those of you that do this or are interested. Thanks, D in TN

Well Devota, I wrote here the other day, actually was probably yesterday, but must have forgotten to hit send since I don't see it. Dumb.

I am really interested to see how your system is set up since I am getting the things necessary to make one also. I don't know when I will get mine set up since anything we get coming down now will probably be in the form of snow. Also, I just had surgery on my foot so that is kind of prohibitive also.

But, am really interested in yours. Please keep us posted and would love pictures,

Jeanette

Jeanette, don't worry. You did reply to a post I made on my "rabbit" question.

Here is what I have plans for and I will photo as I go along. The system I will describe to you won't be connected until spring weather because of course a good freeze would burst it.

At present I have the old stand-by 50 gal trash can with a screened whole in the top that sits under one of my downspouts. I can dip water with a bucket or I can use a pond pump if I need to send water uphill to the flowers. I was amazed how quickly this barrel fill up in about 2 hours of steady rain, faster in a hard rain, sooo....More is better isn't it?

I have two 55 gal barrels and three 45 gal barrels. The three 45s will go up on a 4 foot stand next to a shed and will be connected to one another underneath by pvc pipe. The 4 foot elevation will give me good pressure for either a drip or soaker hose.

This whole system will be about 8 to 10 feet from my raised bed.

Where I have plans for straw bales I have another system planned. I found the recipe for this system on line and after looking them all over it appears to be the easiest best for me. D in TN

You can find terrific plans for this kind of system at the address below. The guy is super helpful if you have questions.
The designer has several, a 2 barrel, an 8 barrel and a 4 barrel. D in TN

http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/audrey/water_barrel.htm

I am fortunate, I think, in that my rain barrels are going to be on a deck about 10 feet higher than my perennial beds. So, I have a spigot in the bottom of the barrels and will attach a hose to them and just leave the spigots open. I will have to move the hose from plant to plant so I don't flood any one plant.

At least this is what I have planned right now. Sounds easy, but we'll see.

Jeanette

Ten feet Jeanette! You'll have wonderful water pressure. I am jealous. D

Well, I will let you know, probably in the spring how it works. LOL We now have about an inch of snow.

Jeanette

Devota, I occasionally used my rain barrel water to attach to my soaker hoses on my bales last year. Of course the pressure isn't quite the same but the end result was. I just left my soaker hoses in place on top of the bales all year and watered as necessary. You should be fine doing it this way.

Doug

Doug, do you think I would get enough pressure, 10 ft up, to get a sprinkler to a couple different plants??? That would be real nice if it would cut down on moving it even half.

Jeanette

10 feet should give you very good pressure! I used mine with a sprinkler that was probably only 2-3 feet below the bottom of the rain barrel and I got about 3 feet in height from the sprinkler head! I've also used it in my raised bed garden which is about 6-8 feet below and it was like I had the sprinkler attached to the spigot.

Doug

PS: You get that foot better before you start thinking about gardening!!!

Doug, Jeanette,
I sure am going to use the soaker for my raised bed. As for the strawbales I don't know. I have no knowledge about them since next spring will be my first attempt. I love all the advice and first hand accounts in DG.

Jeanette, what happened to your foot? Surgery, but why? D

Devota, he re-built my foot. It was crooked. According to him, 'very crooked'. I have flat feet. No instep. Sooooooo now we will see how it is in about 3 months. Also, probably water therapy.

Yeah Doug, you are so right.

Jeanette

Would a sunken barrel still produce enough water pressure or would the water collection barrel need to be raised above the ground?

Sorry mewms, I am not sure how a sunken barrel works. Jeanette

Mewms, If the barrel is lower than the area you wish to water you will either have to hand dip it or else use a submersable pump to send the water to the area. D