Rain Catchments ?

Most folk here know peppers do not like nearly the water that some other garden plants do.  Gardening on slanted property helps promote run off.  I plant in hilled / raised rows to help a bit more.  Have read much advice given to folk who garden on flat land.  But I dont think I have ever read much talk about catching and using that run off other than the occasional 55 gallon drum under a water down spout.

I am curious to know if anyone else has put efforts towards saving water for the garden?  We use what we have: clay.  Have several mini ponds that feed each other.  Giant sink hole in the last one, so it is a work in progress.  But goal is to replace the portable electric water pump with solar power marine pumps so that I do not have to rely on house water for anything.

The benefits to pond water are many and my area does not have very consistant rain.  Seems like it is flood or drought these years.

I used a rain barrel from my roof drainage last year and kept it near my garden, but the mosquitos were so bad back there that I dreaded tending to the garden. Suspecting the barrel was a breeding ground, I ended up dumping the barrel and haven't used it since around July of last year.
 
This year the mosquitos are back in full force. Its terrible, I can spend 30 seconds back there and get ~10 bites. Anyway, the barrel has been eliminated as the source and I should probably set it up again.

Mosquito from barrel solution: Gold fish
Depending on how many and how often it rains, you might not even need an air pump.  If you do, they are dirt cheap.  Makes for better water too cause the gold fish add nutrients.  I stopped putting them in critter water because the cats and duck go fishing, but used to do that too.  Just cant afford live food for the critters.

My parents property has a pond at the bottom of the hill and we pump it into water tanks