recycling water

[renoir_girl]

I'm looking ahead to my summer gardening and thinking about water. Last year my irrigation efforts lacked consistency, and my plants suffered for it. This year I find myself with my income cut to about 2/3 what it was, so my dreams of a network of hoses and sprinklers are going to have to be postponned. Instead, I'm thinking about ways to save

Comments

[djinnthespazz]

If you use a gentle soap - you can also cycle your 'greywater' into the garden. For most of this this means dishwater, although there are folks who have systems that bypass the public drain and send their bathwater to the garden, too.

[renoir_girl]

Wow. I wouldn't even begin to know how to make this happen. We use a dishwasher, shower, and, well, we aren't plumbers. :) But it's something to consider. Thanks!

[djinnthespazz]

You could switch to hand washing the dishes, and capturing that water. That was the suggestion. I don't have the system bypass, either, but was sharing how far you could take the concept!

[renoir_girl]

Got it. Cool. Learning every bit helps, and even if we continue using the dishwasher to save our backs, that doesn't mean we never have 'greywater' to collect at the sink. Just have to train myself to re-think.

[cherokeepurple]

I collected to the dishwater after washing dishes. Use two dish tubs, one for soapy water, the other for rinsing. The soapy water will help deter bugs too. But the best was putting a 5 gallon bucket under my air conditioner (window unit). It would fill up every 2 days or so. Good luck.

[gasslight]

I'm pretty sure I can make the watering bit if I knew where to (cheaply) get the barrel. Where did you get yours?

[a1]

I used a plain old garbage can, but opted for a thicker plastic one and it has so far held up for one season+

[gasslight]

That's not what I'm seeing in your picture though, right?

[renoir_girl]

My local craigslist had a listing. Folks selling food-grade barrels for $4 each as long as they're picked up by Sunday.

You could make the watering bit? Are you a metalsmith, or just know your way around a Home Depot?

[a1]

I installed a home-made rainwater barrel and saved on my water bill. One month I used the hose, the next month I had the rain barrel. Saved about $5, but water is relatively inexpensive near me.
You can also divert downpipes to gardens. I have one downpipe going straight to my veggie garden, so I didn't ever have to hand water it.
Another idea is if you run a dehumidified in a basement, etc, you can use that water.
Good luck! I applaud your efforts!

[renoir_girl]

Since the downspout will have all the water in one stream, how did you spread to the entire garden?

Good idea with the dehumidifier. Thanks!

[a1]

there are plastic bag looking products that can go at the end of the pipe to disperse the water if you're worried about force.
I didn't have a very large veggie garden so all of it got covered by what came down.
This New Mexico publication gives guidance on how to divert rainwater for rain gardens.
Also, Arizona's rain barrel guide may be helpful for you and others.

[renoir_girl]

I have veggies spread around my entire property rather than in a single garden, so spreading out the water is a concern. Thanks for the links!

[lunesse]

My barrels are a bit over the top, but they are terrific. I'm posting a pic so you see how the water gets in them. Just remove a section of drain spout and get piping that fits into the hole in the top. Mine has a crazy bypass and a valve so that if it rains a lot and the barrels fill, it goes back into the downspout below to keep things from spilling over/bursting...but you don't need all that...but I thought the photo might help you.

[renoir_girl]

Cool. I'm guessing just the two gray barrels are networked together? Most of the pictures I've seen have shown the downspout just open above the barrel so it's just a one-way op. (I've only just figured out about networking rain barrels in the last 10 minutes. ha.)

[a1]

don't mean to monopolize the comments, but I installed a hose for overflow on my barrel. The hose is attached near the top of the barrel and is then buried in the ground and directed to another bed.
Essentialy, there are a lot of different ways you can rig your system.

[renoir_girl]

huh. Neat. Sounds like it! :)