Starting to think about rain barrels and cisterns

I’m in the pacific northwest and am thinking about developing a rain barrel/cistern strategy to maximize the benefit of the area rain. I’m on a tight budget so that’s definitely a consideration.

Any beginner resources or tips out there would be appreciated!

Sounds great! Always a good idea to collect as much rain water as possible. It does depend on how you are going to be using it. Are you wanting to be able to attach a hose and water directly from the barrel or fine with filling up a watering can? You could just have some large plastic trash cans at the base of a downspout if you are trying to keep it extremely basic.

If you want a little more (such as watering from a hose), you'll need a few more supplies. https://www.nourishingpursuits.com/garden/garden-rain-barrels/ could be a good overview of what you'll need to get started.

Look forward to hearing how things get set up and going.

I’ve purchased a rain barrel that will support bother uses. I’m putting it in the corner of the house that gets a lot of English ivy growth. I’m thinking if I can collect rain water and control the water that powers the insane growth of the ivy near the house, that’s a win-win.

That sounds perfect and yes collecting the water from that spot should reduce the growth of the ivy (for the most part).