Green Lawns & Landscaping

Set up a simple, food-grade barrel to collect the rainwater.

Wrap your rainwater barrel with wire mesh and mask it with leafy plants.

By Michelle Kaufmann

Water catchment systems are a fantastic way to conserve water. They allow you to capture rainwater that might otherwise be wasted and use it in your yard or garden.

While most houses don’t come with a built-in catchment system, almost all have downspouts for drainage, which is the first thing you need to create your own system. Unfortunately, most water catchment systems are pretty unattractive, but here’s a way to create a lovely rainwater catchment system that easily ties into your existing downspout and adds beauty to your garden.

Before you begin, you’ll have to get your rain barrel (which hopefully comes with all the fittings you’ll need), enough bricks or cinder blocks to rest the barrel on, some welded wire that will stand a bit taller than your barrel, a few vine-like plants, preferably that have been trained up a stack, and, finally, enough small potted flowers to cover the top of your barrel. You can also purchase more than one rain barrel, which is even more beneficial for your catchment system.

VIDEO: See how to make your own water catchment system >>

Steps:
• First, choose the location for your catchment system. You want to get as close as possible to your downspout, if not directly under it.
• Next, lay your foundation. Create an even pad of dirt and place your bricks or cinder blocks on top. Keep in mind that the higher the elevation you create for your barrel the more water pressure you’ll enjoy!
• Assemble the barrels on top of this surface according to the instructions. Attach the fittings into the proper openings. Do not attach hoses yet.
• Now you should be able to see at what point the downspout must be cut. Use a handsaw to carefully make the cut. If your barrel isn’t directly under the spout then affix an elbow joint to the cut end. With the excess downspout you cut off, just cut it down so that it is short enough to lead right to the opening of your barrel then attach it to the elbow joint.
• Next, roll the wire out and around the barrel until the ends meet. Bind them with stray bits of wire (paper clips will do) and gently push down until the wire is slightly set in the ground and stable. Make sure your spigot and other fixtures peek out through the wire so they remain accessible. Attach a garden hose to the overflow fitting to direct any overflow away from the tank and your house. You don’t want to turn your basement into a water catchment system!
• Now simply plant your vines at the base of the wire mesh-surrounded barrel. Coax the vines up the wire by weaving them through the grid. To prevent the vine growth from getting top heavy, pinch back the terminal growth of the stems as they develop to force lower branching and more evenly distributed foliage on the wire.
• Once you’ve collected some rainwater to water with, just attach a regular garden hose to the bottommost outlet, turn the spout and spray away!

  Provided by Michelle Kaufmann - http://www.michellekaufmann.com
  
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