Something to consider - many of us are still knee-deep in snow, but winter's not going to last forever, and with the prospect of rain in our future, it's never too early to start thinking ahead.

If you have any sort of garden, and you live where there's any sort of rain, it would be widely to your advantage to consider getting a rain barrel.

Rain barrels are big units that collect water run-off from the roof of your house. There are myriad obvious advantages. Many towns impose rules or bans on watering your plants, but if using natural rain water evades those regulations. Using rain water is, of course, free except for the price of the barrel and the labor involved in using it - both of which soon become negligible when the price of lawn and gardening, in summertime especially, is considered. Forty percent of the household water usually goes to the lawn in the summer - and in this economy, that adds up.

And, of course, using natural rain water is very green. It saves water and recycles it rather than allowing it to go to waste in streams or storm drains.  It prevents pollution by reducing runoff, and so prevents erosion and increases water quality. It can also be better for your plants: it is "soft" water, meaning it is free from chemicals you will often find in tap water (chlorine, lime calcium, etc) that are not best for the plants.

There are some conflicted disadvantages to this water. For instance, since the water comes from your roof, it may take unwanted materials from the roof with it. It certainly isn't a good idea to drink it, but it is reasonable enough to use these barrels to water your garden or wash your car. Some might say that watering anything you intend to eat with this is risky, but that's an exaggeration: just wash your tomatoes, as you should anyway, before digging in. Potential crisis diverted.

Three hundred gallons of water will run off for every half inch of rain on a 500 square foot roof. That's a lot of water you can be saving. Rain barrels are easy to obtain and they are not unreasonably expensive, and you can even find decorative pieces. On top of that, they are cheap and easy to build for yourself. The internet is flooded with information and how-tos.

When setting up a barrel, keep in mind that it will get heavy when full - over four hundred pounds! - so put it on something firm. Take overflowing into account and keep the water away from your foundation.

Again, it may seem early to start thinking about this, but with the state of our economy and our environment, any tricks at any time can help. Just thinking about it now, and by the time summer rolls around you can guarantee your garden will be naturally watered, healthy, and whole.