If you live in the Northwest, you've probably seen rainwater barrels at the sides of houses to catch and reuse what we seem to have plenty of up here. But if big plastic barrels aren't part of the aesthetic vision for your garden, Instructables user Michelle Kaufmann has a step-by-step for putting together this camouflaged version.
For materials, you'll need wire mesh, 2-3 barrels (hers are from Arid Solutions), cinder blocks or bricks, a downspout elbow joint and climbing plants from your local nursery.
• The first step is to assemble the barrels, stacking them one on top of the other and using the cinder blocks or bricks as a base. Use a level and adjust the base to make sure the barrels are level.
•Then, saw a hole into the bottom barrel and attach the downspout.
•Next, wrap the mesh around the barrels, leaving the top exposed and making sure the downspout sticks out. Tie the ends of the mesh together with wire for a secure fit.
•Finally, plant your plants around the base of the barrels, and coax them to grow up the sides of the mesh. You can place hanging plants in pots on the top of the barrel, careful not to cover the hole that lets the rainwater in.
That's it! When you want to use the rainwater, simply attach your garden hose to the downspout. Michelle also gives additional design ideas, including filling the mesh with large stones for a stone gabion look.
See the full instructions here.
Originally posted by Danielle on AT:SF.
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We live in Colorado where I've been told it is illegal to harvest rain water. In college I lived in a co-op house where we looked into harvesting rain water and were in fact told by the city that we could be fined for collecting rain. Frankly, I am not really sure how re-locating the absorption of water on my own property can really affect the water table and runoff, but the municipalities seem to think it will. Nonetheless, we do have a gutter on the back side of our house that currently drains into a rock path and xeriscaped area that doesn't need watering. A camouflaged rain barrel, such as the one above, may do the trick. If we manage to construct such a thing, I'll send a pic. Also, for anyone who wants to know more about the difference between grey water and rain water harvesting the following link is very informative: Graywater vs. Rainwater Harvest
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I was told in Tampa that I could not do that either. I am doing it anyway.
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