A gallon saved is cash in the hand

I would like to say that my use of rain barrels come from a deep seated belief in water conservation ... reuse, recycle, blah, blah, blah.

Or how great rain water is especially when gathered in a lightening storm ( ionization) .

Truth be told it's because of cold hard cash.

No sense in growing free food to lighten the food bill if ya gotta pay for H2O.

I lucked out when my Blessing got these free from a pump manufacturer as the prototypes outta a new mold.

The color matches my foundation so they aren't really visible from the city street. Mint & Strawberries @ the base.

There are barrels @ all gutter down spouts for a total of 5 around the house.

Husband fit in real plumbing sigots so a garden hose can be attached.

19 cent common goldfish live in each one happily after two years. Winter they live in a 5 gallon bucket in the cellar. Tried them in a goldfish bowl but they freaked. Way too much openness I suppose. They have doubled in size living on mosquitoes & a bit of fish food now & then. For entertainment they dodge the neighborhood cats leading to a fun game of wet kitty.

Notice the white jugs to the left of the garden path?

Kitty litter jugs holding extra rain water.

Now spray painted black for solar gain in a crazy attempt to heat my green house.

In the distance is last year's tomato crop. Bloody Butcher on the left & Yellow Pear on the right.

Added bonus is that my 105 year old cellar stays dry.

One day hope to score a 200 gallon reservoir tank that can be buried. Fill it with the rain barrel overflow. Top it off with an old fashioned hand crank well pump ( think child labor oppertunity)

Hmm, now isn't that what every homestead needs ?

~~ pelenaka ~~