Projects to Date

--2 raspberry bushes planted on south property line

--Planted four dwarf apple, 2 dwarf cherry trees

--Built sixteen 4' by 8' garden boxes along south property line. Jen filled the boxes with leaves, top soil, and compost.

--Built a six foot privacy fence along the front property line facing busy cut through street (where cars frequently speed past at about 60 mph. Fence runs along all of the front and part of the sides of the yard for about 240 feet. A gate was built across the drive way which locks from both the inside and outside.

--Purchased freezer which holds 250 lbs of meat. Filled it with 1/4 of a cow bought from local farmer.

--Set up three 55 gallon water barrels (linked). All filled up in one night of rain!

Harvesting Rainwater

This article, "A Better Way to Harvest Rainwater" by Cheryl Long in the May 20, 2008 edition of Mother Earth News discusses water catchment systems. In short, you use your house to collect water, and there is quite a bit to collect: "During an inch of rainfall, more than 900 gallons flows off of a house with a 30-by-50 foot roof. Why not make use of all 900 gallons?"

The article ends with some good beginning books as resources. I've paraphrased below:

Water Storage by Art Ludwig focuses on tank storage design.

Create An Oasis with Greywater by Art Ludwig discusses how to recycle greywater (water that has drained from house appliances and showers).

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands by Brad Lancaster comprises Vol I (basics of rainwater harvesting) Vol II (collection of water in earthworks, swales, ponds, and terraces) and Vol III (roof catchment and cisterns).

Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply by John Gould and Erik Nissen-Petersen discusses the technical, social and economic factors in water catchment for your home. It discusses roof and ground systems with a variety of photos, illustrations and case studies. Very detailed and thorough.