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The year 2007 was a challenging year for many gardeners. Some of us struggled in one of the worst droughts the southern US has ever seen, and many more dealt with more rain than they had ever experienced. Through these difficulties, we learn that as gardeners, we need to be prepared for anything. My own experiences with deluges of spring rains taught me to work on creating well draining soils and provide areas for water-run off. This past year, I learned that I should also be prepared for drought – and to be mindful of water shortages in the future. So I decided to make rain barrels so that I could have water for perennial plants, trees and shrubs. It's not recommended to use asphalt shingle run-off water on edible plants.
If you look up “rain barrel” on the internet you will find a thousand different directions to make them. Although a simple task, all those different directions make it seem daunting. Really, the only daunting thing is to find food grade recycled barrels. You can put together the rest of the barrel from what you find in your local hardware store. My best tip is to make sure your hole tool and your PVC and other fittings are the same size as the hole bit you choose.
To build your barrel you need a FOOD grade container of some sort. Search your area for barrel recycling locations – there are many companies who sell recycled barrels. Get a fair sized barrel, pictured here are 50 and 60 gallons. Next you will need a drill, something with some power behind it to cut the plastic. Hole saw or paddle drill bits need to be SLIGHTLY larger in size than the spigot and overflow male valves you choose. Get both the same size and only buy one bit. Jigsaw to cut the top off of the barrel Units to make a PVC overflow: male threaded on one side - this is a male adaptor , one female threaded on one side but the interior of the fitting needs to be smooth - this is a bushing and female and male need to fit together with no more than 1/4" gap, one rubber washer. Units to make a spigot: spigot or silcock of choice: 1 rubber washer, 1 metal washer, one male or female threaded adapter that can screw into your spigot (there will be a gap). The two washers seal and fill the gap. Cement blocks or a riser you make to go under the barrel. You need at least two blocks Screen and trash elastics, OR 2 hinges depends on the style of barrel you choose Flexible downspout, 2 machine screws Hosing that corresponds to the size of your overflow or “jump” valve. wrench Make sure you work in an area that can be messy. There will probably be left over liquids in the barrel, and cutting the plastic makes a mess. You also need ventilation incase the tool heats the plastic. I work outside at home. First thing I do is cut the top off of the barrel like Sandra is doing here. Cut all the way around the barrel, on the INSIDE top lip. If you have a screw lid barrel, you need to cut the inside of the screw top to out leaving the threaded band around the edge intact. Next, Sandra likes to use a rasp to soften those sharp edges. Now you can crawl in the barrel to put o the spigot! We won't show Sandra in the barrel. It isn't very lady like! Now you are going to begin drilling your holes for the spigot and your overflow or jump valves. A jump is a small hose that links barrels together in succession to fill one after the other from a single downspout. It's an excellent idea if you have a particularly active downspout. Remember your choice of drill bit for this depends on the size of fittings you chose. You need the hole to be SLIGHTLY larger than your spigot. If in doubt I suggest going to a hardware store that offers personal service. You can use a whole saw drill bit which is like a round tube with teeth (works best) or a paddle bit. I like to drill one hole about two to three inches below the top rim. This is the overflow or the jump hole. I use a male and female threaded on one end PVC fittings and a washer (rubber or metal, rubber is best) and fit that into the hole very tightly. I put my overflow off to one side or the other, the photo below shows it above the spigot. It's your choice. Next, you drill your spigot hole where you'd like it. I prefer my hole 5 to 6 inches from the bottom of the barrel. This means I can use only one set of cement blocks to reach watering can height. I don't suggest making it any higher in the barrel as you can't reach water below this point (which is why I dip!!). Shown here is the interior of the spigot fixture all put together. The rubber and metal washer create a great seal, and the male copper adapter is the right size for the job. Find your fittings as you need them. Tighten with a wrench. Finishing up is now a snap! You are almost done!! Now you need to cut the screen for the top. Cut it larger, and use two huge rubber bands (found to hold trash bags in place, these are removable) or screw it down with your screw lid. Now you need to go outside and fit your barrel into it's new home! Take your two cement blocks and set them out from the house about 10". Level them, and set the barrel on top. Now you can add your overflow, or if you have two barrels in succession (or more) you can put your jumps in place and fool with the blocks to get it right. All that is left to do is to measure where you need the flex downspout to attach to your aluminum downspout. Cut your aluminum downspout and afix the plastic flex spout to it with the two tiny machine screws. DONE! All you need to do is wait for rain!! A handy tip: if you try to get creative like I did in some photos and make lids that don't fit quite right (there was a lot of experimenting to perfect the method to the right), just pop in a bit of biological mosquito control powder to keep the "wrigglers" out of your barrel!
About Glynis Ward
Music, color and gardening - the three go hand in hand in my Electric Garden. I enjoy gardening organically for 12 months of the year in the South and am garden speaker and educator, retailer and occasionally work as designer. I write about rock'n roll, vintage fashion and of course, gardening.
Posted by taynors (from back in St Paris, OH) on January 15, 2008 at 10:49 PM:
hi
I was just wondering on the cost of the rain barrels ? you made . I will have a greenhouse but no water hook up. I m thinking rain barrels but looking in the Internet i only found that they are very costly.
Could you give me an estimate on what you spent.
It is a great article and i learned alot . I m looking forward to making my own.
thanks
sue
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Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on January 22, 2008 at 2:10 PM:
Hi Sue:
I pay $18 for the barrel, and the hardware is about $10, the tubing is about $10 but the tools are most expensive. You are fine if you have the tools and all the right bits you need for your drill or saw blades. If you need to buy more bits or more add another $10. Screens are about $2.00.
My own barrels cost me $38 each. It took me about 3-4 hours of time to assemble each one. That is mainly where the cost of finished barrels comes into play - the workmanship.
Glynis
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Posted by taynors (from back in St Paris, OH) on January 22, 2008 at 4:12 PM:
Hey thanks Glynis
good to know
yes i do have the tools.
great looking forward to this project in the spring and save money !!
thanks again
sue
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Subject: rain barrels
Posted by Buzzdog (from Sevierville, TN) on January 14, 2008 at 8:23 PM:
It was very dry here, in East Tennessee, until the January rains came in. I purchased four rain barrels in June and the rain water they saved was of great value to plants who were practically on their last leg, errr root! My barrels hold 60 gal. each and after even a little shower, they would be full to the brim. I certainly recommend rain barrels to all gardeners, because one never knows just when that next rain event will occur.
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on January 15, 2008 at 9:53 AM:
My question is: How do you distribute the water once it is collected?
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Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on January 15, 2008 at 5:12 PM:
Janet, I mostly hand water with my barrels or do the bucket brigade. However, you can purchase a submersible sump pump to spew water out...FAST.
You can raise barrels VERY high, on several tiers of cement block or make a wooden stand and let gravity work in soaker hoses (short runs, this won't create pressure for a long run of soaker hoses).
Kids love dipping or filling buckets and distributing water on a hot day. If you have plants that need a long, slow soak (say a tomato) you can make your own waterer by inverting a soda bottle with no lid (or small holes in the lid) and cutting off the bottom to fill.
Glynis,
girlgroupgirl
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on January 15, 2008 at 6:32 PM:
Thanks, Glynis, I thought there had to be a pump of some sort for pressure if in fact you didn't raise it really high!
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Subject: Good article!
Posted by tommyr2006 (from Poughkeepsie, NY) on January 14, 2008 at 3:06 PM:
I plop in a "Mosquito dunk" in my barrel. Works great! Actually half a dunk would do.
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Subject: Another trick for mosquito control
Posted by ilexwhite (from Detroit, MI) on January 14, 2008 at 9:36 AM:
Thanks very much for a terrific article. We can't have enough info about making rain barrels.
Here's an old-fashioned way to rid your barrel of mosquito larvae: guppies. A few guppies in a rain barrel is about the best natural mosquito control you can have, and it's totally chemical- free.
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Subject: very practical
Posted by vhbt (from Hampton Bays, NY) on January 14, 2008 at 9:26 AM:
Great idea! I've collected rain water in a new plastic trash can with a screen over the top and pulled buckets full out as needed.
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Subject: GREAT information
Posted by dryad57 (from Indianapolis, IN) on January 14, 2008 at 8:08 AM:
Thank you so much for the details - and the pictures!! This is going to be helpful not only for me, but my friends who haven't yet discovered the magic of Dave's and all the wonderful information here. Thank you for all the work you put into this.
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Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on January 14, 2008 at 8:13 AM:
Very informative and love the step by step pictures. Great job! Thanks for sharing.
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Posted by judithht (from Rockmart, GA) on January 14, 2008 at 8:36 AM:
Great article! I never even thought of biological-control mosquito powder! xxxj
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Posted by frausnow (from Winterville, GA) on January 14, 2008 at 9:16 AM:
I pretty much have done the same thing in constructing my rain barrel except that instead of screening material I used an old sheer curtain cut to the right size and just tied a piece of thin rope around it to hold it in place.
JoAnn
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on January 14, 2008 at 11:33 AM:
Great article! The publication is timely, too. I know, everybody is thinking -- timely?? It's not summer, we're not having a drought. Right! It's not spring or summer yet, and we're not out in the garden every spare minute. Winter is a great time for projects like this that we know we will be very, very glad to have done when summer is here!
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Posted by wrightie (from Metro DC, MD) on January 14, 2008 at 7:26 PM:
Thanks so much, Glynis! Rain barrels have been on my To Do list for some time now - your article will come in handy when I'm ready to get started.
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Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on January 15, 2008 at 5:09 PM:
YEAH! Everyone, I'm so glad to see you are all thinking about making rain barrels! That is just great news.
Thanks also for those who emailed me with questions or suggestions. We all learn from each other when we share our project success and failure!
If you look up “rain barrel” on the internet you will find a thousand different directions to make them. Although a simple task, all those different directions make it seem daunting. Really, the only daunting thing is to find food grade recycled barrels. You can put together the rest of the barrel from what you find in your local hardware store. 
Now you are going to begin drilling your holes for the spigot and your overflow or jump valves. A jump is a small hose that links barrels together in succession to fill one after the other from a single downspout. It's an excellent idea if you have a particularly active downspout.
