My neighbor's rain barrel setup saved my garden after 3 weeks of no rain

Last month the city put out a water restriction notice and I figured my tomato plants were done for. My neighbor across the street, an older guy named Hank, kept telling me to hook up a simple rain barrel under my downspout. I thought it was overkill since we get decent rain here in Ohio. But I finally caved and bought a 50 gallon one from the hardware store for $80. Then we hit a dry stretch, 22 days without a drop. That barrel collected just enough runoff from the small storms we did get, maybe 15 gallons total, and I used it to keep my peppers and herbs alive. Hank was right and I told him so. Has anyone else had a cheap setup like this actually pull its weight during a dry spell? What's your go to water saving trick?

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the_henry3d ago

And that 50 gallon barrel is just the starting point, honestly. Once I saw how much even a light sprinkle could fill it up, I added a second one linked to the first with a cheap hose kit. It cost me another 40 bucks, and now I've got close to 100 gallons of backup water for the flower beds too. The real trick I found is putting a screen over the top so you don't get mosquito larvae and leaf gunk clogging the spigot. Also, I learned the hard way to elevate the barrel on cinder blocks so gravity gives you enough pressure to fill a watering can without tipping it over. Your mileage may vary depending on your roof size, but if you got gutters at all, it's almost free water you're just letting run into the sewer.