I just thought.... Could I use one of those metal feeding watering troughs? big or small. that would be neat! and pretty (in my mind any ways.) and functional. But how to add plumbing to get the water out into a hose?

Or, to build a frame ouf of old wood and make it out of cement (?) and stone (?)= more pretty and functional as well! But again, how to do the plumbing?

:) I am so excited!

sammie,

can you access those 55us/gal, plastic drums the ones that have been used for food industry, they make good barrels leave the tops on (see pics of how we set ours up on our permacuture essay page), but investing (that's what it is) in a good sized rainwater tank is the ultimate way to go, as water is very precious.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

we don't have gutters on our house, but there are 3 areas where the water comes together from 2 roof slopes and really gushes off the roof. we have giant plastic trash cans under each area. i drilled a hole near the bottom of each one and inserted a spigot, sealed with plumbers goop. it works great. for mosquitos, we keep a few goldfish in each one.

Hi Sammy-

I am building my own rain barrels this week, since I have some holiday time off from work. Here are some instructions I found online that I plan to use as my guide:

http://www.cityofbremerton.com/content/forms/MakeYourOwnRainBarrel.pdf

That link opens a PDF you can print that includes a list of materials you will need. I found a place in Portland where I can buy food-grade 55-gallon drums which is the perfect size for me. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Making Your Own Rain Barrel