I have yet to figure out how to collect water here and now. I did see some good ideas in this thread and on that article.

I know someone mentioned the ease of a spigot and whether it could be installed on a drum. I found a site that offers some info and products:

If I find anything else on water storage, I'll be sure to share.

Something that farmers could do, when I have my farm I plan on doing this, is to leave every other row unplowed, so the grass and plant matter conserves water. However all the equipment would have to be switched, so it's probably not as viable, but it works well for our garden.

I save all the water in my glasses at the end of the day and use them to water plants, or put in a pot with soap and boil to release the crud.

You could also create a rain catching system using your gutters and collect it in a barrel, or dig trenches and irrigate that way.

Most of the farming done in this area is ditch irrigation, since the water comes from mountain reservoirs. We had a good snowfall in the mountains this year, but it warmed up, melted and ran off too fast. By the time hot weather gets here, there isn't going to be much left. That happened last year, too. Every other row planting would be better than none, but would probably be hard to implement using the big equipment that most farmers have now.

Leaving areas unplanted in a home garden makes sense - either that or mulching heavily between rows and even between larger plants. Growing as much as you can for yourself is the best hedge against higher grocery prices, which I see coming because of droughts in various places. Most households waste enough water to keep a small garden well watered.

I guess I'm spoiled living in a state surrounded by lakes and having alot of inland lakes as well. Water has never been an issue or expense here in the rural areas.

Dh hates low-flush toilets. For some reason he can plug up a regular one, let alone one that doesn't have the flush power.

I found another site with products but ouch the cost of these. They look very nice though.

If my Grandfather were alive, I'd ask how he built his. Maybe one of my relatives has a clue though. I am really interested in having some rain barrels and I am not wanting to spend that much.