Urban Watering

As summer nears watering is on my mind in south Florida, plants wilt midday even with mulch if they don’t get their sip.

That leaves me with two questions.

One, how can I collect water into my rain barrels without reliance on a gutter? Our house has nasty chem shingles, whereas a “shed” (tiny house) out back has a metal roof but no gutter. I’m not sure about installing a gutter on it so I’m looking for ways to collect the water into my barrels. If need be I guess I’ll have to.

Second, using the city water in the meantime, is it worth having an RV filter at the beginner of the chain to filter at least a bit of chlorine and such out?

Thanks!

I'm thinking you could mimic the way some large leaved plants collect and funnel water toward the root system..   something freestanding with a wide flat funnel to channel water into a barrel/ receptacle.

There are other in-ground water systems with swales and small ponds that can be useful,  depending on your space and useage.

Wow a small pound would be amazing but way too small a space for that. If I fence it off from the dogs… perhaps.

Heather Staas wrote:
I'm thinking you could mimic the way some large leaved plants collect and funnel water toward the root system..   something freestanding with a wide flat funnel to channel water into a barrel/ receptacle.

Here are some threads about something like Heather is suggesting:

https://permies.com/t/155988/IBC-tote-large-funnels

https://permies.com/t/158102/Butterfly-Roof-Plans-rain-funnel#1240974

This one doesn't answer your question though it might be of interest for you or others:

https://permies.com/t/164497/Watering-strategies-midst-severe-drought

Have you tried to grow under the shade of a light bush? Here what kills my plants is direct sunshine, some of them would survive with extra watering, but it is costly.

If you have developed good roots during spring, your plants could find enough water. The old method is growing in rows at twice the usual distance so your soil has more water available for your crops. That is, if you are growing on the ground, not in pots.

I mean... gutters are pretty easy to install yourself. You don't even have to do your whole house - just one side that conveniently slopes toward your rain barrels.
If you've got a power drill and way to cut through the gutters (Mitre saw and a large hole-drilling bit for the power drill) , it's pretty straightforward.

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Also note: Wilting doesn't mean your plant is dying.
A lot of plants wilt on purpose (zucchini, I'm looking at you) on really hot days so their normally watery leaves don't suffer damage from the tissues overheating and water turning to steam faster than they can deal with it. They move their water down into their roots, and then perk themselves back up in the evening when temperatures cool down.

i would also go with gutters. I collect here on my urban farm and it is 10000% worth it.

I will look into it. I’m sure I’d be allowed to install gutters on the tiny house but it’s a triangle roof, there’s no real need for them besides this specific use case… which would be great though.

I’m in South Florida. I can fill up an entire 5 gallon bucket with no sort of extra capture surface area in a single rain storm…. It would justify itself in no time.

I decided to try this somewhat bizarre Japanese cucumber and if it doesn’t get its drink it gets quite sad looking… my soil drains extremely fast though. I need to amend it in between seasons next time with something to help retain moisture, besides just adding organic matter. That will take quite a while.