If you have the rainwater available, by all means - use it, even though the pH of rainwater varies significantly with where you live. I would feel comfortable watering with water anywhere from 5.0-7.0, depending on what I'm using for fertilizer. I water with a garden hose in the summer & that produces water with a pH of around 8.5. Still, my plants do thrive, as long as I'm flushing the soil to keep (bi)carbonates from accumulating in the soil.

AL

Thank you very much....rain water has been easy to get..lol...I do have some anti mosquito do-nuts I am using in the barrels...dont likem but absolutely hate the dang skeeters!

You could buy a few feeder goldfish & toss 'em in your rain barrel(s) to keep the skeeters in check.

Al

Hydroponics dealers have a water PH test kit for less than ten dollars. I use two wells and had no idea what the water PH was. Al