Turn A Trash Can Into A Cheaper Rain Barrel With A Savvy DIY

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If you love the idea of sustainable gardening and being able to keep your garden hydrated with a method that collects rainwater, you may well have looked into purchasing a rain barrel. However, the problem is that these units are becoming quite expensive and can easily set you back over $100, depending on where you shop. But thanks to YouTuber Plant Abundance, you can try a savvy DIY that turns a cheap trash can into a rain barrel on a budget.

All you're going to need for this simple project is a large plastic trash can, your trusty drill, a Lenox 1 ⅜ inch hole saw or a step bit kit, a roll of D-NYX Teflon plumbing tape, and a rain barrel spigot kit from Van Enterprises. You may also want a few other supplies to fully complete the project. For instance, a couple of cinder blocks or a few bricks to sit the barrel on will be most useful. You should also consider getting some type of mesh to go over the top of the trash can and something to hold this in place. If you're going to be positioning your rain barrel near a structure that has guttering, you'll want to use a genius gutter hack to siphon the water from the gutter into the barrel. 

Using your drill and hole saw (or step bit kit), drill a hole near the base of the garbage can where you want the spigot to go. Take apart the spigot kit, place the large plastic nut on the inside of the can, and poke the threaded section through the hole you've just made. From the outside, screw on the other part of the nut to hold it firmly in place. Make sure that it's nice and tight, as this is going to form the seal so that no water can escape. Then it's just a case of screwing on the spigot, making sure you apply some Teflon tape around the threads first, as this will add more sealing power. The creator gave a useful tip for this, and that is to wind the tape in the opposite direction to how the thread screws in.

Now that your rain barrel is ready, you'll want to place it on a few cinder blocks or bricks to elevate it so you can easily use the spigot to fill a watering can. Before you place your barrel outside so it can collect water, you may want to cover the top with some fine mesh. You can secure this in a number of ways, including by either using some twine or two or three bungee cords joined together. This will keep debris and things like mosquitoes out of your water. You can also use the trash can lid with some holes cut into it. Just put it on top of the barrel inverted and use a brick or some rocks to hold it in place. Once your barrel is full, you'll want to explore a few clever ways to reuse rainwater around your garden.