Roger and Suzy Higgins believe they’ve saved money by using rain barrels.

The Bakewell couple said their two 55-gallon rain barrels have stored enough water to keep their vegetable and flower gardens alive during a recent two-week dry spell.

“We noticed our water bill was cut in half when we installed the rain barrels two years ago,” Mr. Higgins said. “And we’ve been saving money since.”

It’s also an ideal way to go “green,” he said.

“It’s funny that you’re hearing about them these days as though it’s a new thing,” said Mr. Higgins, 60. “I grew up on a farm, and my daddy always had rain barrels.

“They weren’t as fancy then as they are now, but they worked just the same,” he said.

Lou Manfredini, green expert for Ace Hardware stores, said Americans should learn to conserve water, and using rain barrels is a great way to start.

“It’s a wonderful way to capture water coming out of the sky to water your flowers, even your lawn,” Mr. Manfredini said. “And there’s lots of options on ways to do this. Many retailers, including Ace, are selling recycled barrels that were olive barrels shipped from Italy and Greece.”

Barrels now have spigots for easy use of the water and screens to keep mosquitoes from breeding, he said. The barrel is attached to a downspout to capture the rainwater.

“We also sell a decorative one that looks nicer than the recycled barrel, just in case you don’t like the look,” Mr. Manfredini said, noting that the barrels hold 60 gallons. “You hook up a hose to it.”

Mr. Manfredini said most rain barrels, which are made from recycled plastic, cost about $100. “And, especially in the South where it never gets cold for long, the barrels can last forever. You’ll probably fill the rain barrel at least 10 times over the course of a year, so that’s almost 600 gallons of water for one rain barrel.”

Do-it-yourself

Roger Higgins said he spent about $100 building a rain-barrel recycling system from scratch. The cost included gutters and downspouts.

“Rainwater is much better for vegetable gardens than chlorinated water,” he said. “So it’s not only a way to make your vegetables better, it’s a way to save money. And in this economy, we’re like everybody else, trying to save money.”

Mr. Higgins described the steps he took to build his rain-barrel watering system:

* First, he placed gutters on a shed next to one of his two gardens. “I wanted to make it more convenient for watering, so I installed gutters and downspouts on either side of the shed. The gutters

capture the rain rolling off the roof and send it to the downspouts.”

* Next, he installed divert

ers, purchased over the Internet, to connect to each downspout.

“It diverts the water to a tube that carries it to the rain barrel. If you use both sides of the roof, you’re catching twice as much,” he said, noting that if there is an overflow, the water is diverted back to the downspout and onto the ground.

* Mr. Higgins recycled 55-gallon liquid soap containers. “I got them free from a business that uses a lot of soap.” Mrs. Higgins painted the bright blue containers brown to blend in with the shed.

* He installed a valve/spigot from Lowe’s. He either attaches a hose for watering purposes or uses a bucket.

* The barrels were placed on wooden bases for elevation, making it easy to place a bucket under the spigot. Mr. Higgins built the bases from wood scraps. “The location of the barrels makes it easy for us to water the gardens,” he said.