Should there be any concern about useing rain run off and collected in a barrel to water a vegie garden?

Question

I collect the rain run off from my roof in a plastic barrel to water my small vegatable garden. Should there be any concern about contamination?

Answer 1

Same as above, just make sure kids can't climb into it!

Answer 2

rain water is good for vegetation and every living thing on the face of the earth.

Answer 3

It's called "Rain harvesting" and is popular here in southern Arizona.  My water bill's gone down $15 since the monsoons started.

Rain water is the best as water from your tap may have too many salts or be slightly alkaline.

Keep the water covered so that bugs (mosquitoes) don't fester in the bail.

Answer 4

The good Lord waters the gardens with rain, why can't you?

Answer 5

certainly not from an eco standpoint, or vegan standpoint, or financial standpoint. Been using nature to take care of a large portion of my garden for years. have two barrels connected to garden hose to make the job easier and the others have taps on the bottom so I can draw of buckets for the flower gardens as needed. I would suyggest placing a fine, wire mesh screen atop the barrels to filter out leaves, twigs, eetc. but otherwise, that's what makes everything else grow about the house.

Answer 6

Simply put.......I like not to get or put anything on my leafy vege's.......we always put out fertilizer and bug killers in the ground with the seeds........maybe layered..........but then try to keep the bad stuff to min.  same with used water....I would sprinkler it along side my rows in ditches.......but not on the plants...........depending on the plant. And yes there should be concern........I know my roofing on my house has a build in chemical for moss.....it sheds a little all the time, sooooooo Be careful..........it'll taste better....glad to hear you save water I do the same thing........have 2 ......50 gal barrels hooked to my downspouts.............bye.

Answer 7

Absolutely not and I'll go one further.  I used a 250-gallon water vessel I bought from a horse farm near Hickory, North Carolina.  I collected water after a very severe drought here in 2001.  I kept it all throughout the year.  I would use the SAME WATER to water my indoor plants, and I was amazed to see how much they thrived on it.  Tap water is really just a band-aid to keep plants from otherwise dying; however it is full of chlorine that is, of course, a poison to living things.  And yet we rely on it!  If I finally get it figured out, I plan to construct an underground cistern to completely rely on rainwater for all my plants and lawn; if it's large enough, I can supplement my drinking water (after it is treated and softened, of course).  Cisterns are a way of life for many rural communities.