What about creating a "rain barrel" out of PVC pipe? You could place a 40' run of 6" or 8" PVC on top of cynder blocks under the porch and direct the down spouts into the PVC. A 40' run of 6" PVC would provide for over 75 gallons of storage. You could then direct the water from the PVC pipe into drip irrigation tubing. (On the lowest point in the PVC, insert a downward pointing Tee fitting. From there, insert reducing bushings into reducing bushing until you finally have a 1/2" bushing with threads inside. There are drip fittings that will go from 1/2" female threads to 1/2" drip irrigation tubing.) Run a length of 1/2" drip irrigation tubing from the PVC to the back of the planting bed. Continue the tubing so that it runs the length of the planting bed. You can then run 1/4" tubing from the 1/2" distribution line to individual plants. Rather than using drip emmitters (you'll only have about 1/4psi of pressure) just leave the ends of the 1/4" tubing open. To prevent the tubing from getting clogged, you might want to stake them in the air (like many instructions show for drip emmiters) and hidden inside the plants.

Don't forget some sort of over-flow system for those times when the storage tube gets full during an extended downpour.

That is a very interesting idea. I just calculated that 38'of 4" PVC would give me 24 gallons of storage. I was looking at some "underbed" flat storage bins last night at HD for $9 that hold 20 gallons. I wan't more of something that could "buffer" the flow of water to the beds, rather than really storing it long term.

4" PVC is readily available, and would be real easy to poke the downspout into, slope accross the run, attach "feeders" of vinyl hose to that I could bury next to each shrub.

Very cool idea.

And I could even feed the other end of the pipe fron the down spout at the other end.

Thanks for the tip, I'll post some pics when I get it done...!!

JH