Monday, July 14, 2008

It's Big and It's Blue...


but it catches sweet rain for the veggie garden & fruit trees so I guess I can overlook its Blueness...
as projects go, this was not an expensive one or a skill-challenging one...we bartered for the rain barrel and the supplies for the gutter system & spigot were well under $100 (purchased from Lowe's)...the wood for the stand we had stashed in our Maybe We'll Need It One Day pile o' wood in the garage...
and I'd say DH spent maybe 2 to 3 hours installing the whole set-up...pretty darn impressive :)
2 things to do differently on the next barrel:
1) instead of removing the whole lid, make a small opening in the top and run the downspout straight into the barrel


2) the spigot needs to be sited lower on the barrel

I truly love the ease of this project and its reward...havin' rain water for the veggie patch...I haven't researched this but it seems as if the plants love rain water so much more than tap water...I've spent countless time and lots of potable water when I've had to water in new plants and ended up with plants just barely hangin' on in the Hot Summer Weather...what a pain and what a waste...

but then a good bit of rain water and it is like the plants stop holdin' their breath and get on with living...

8 comments:

PAT said...

Hi Sheila...great idea with that rain barrel...blue or not, it's fabulous you are collecting rainwater for your garden!

Thanks for commenting on my 200th post!
Pat

PAT said...

PS: Rainwater is supposed to be good for shampooing your hair.

Michelle said...

I am so glad you are back-a-postin these days (and I love your new look!!!).

DH and I have talked about doing a rain barrel but the project hasn't gotten past the talkin' phase.

Anonymous said...

I think that's a great idea.

Brandee :-)

Deb said...

Hi Shelia, that's a very good idea. Especially if you don't get a lot of rain. Thanks for stopping by with encouraging words at the passing of my father. Thank you so much. Deb

Paula@SweetPea said...

What a smart thing to do. It will probably be surprising to see how much you collect in that barrel.

Susie Q said...

I love this. We talk about it but have yet to get up and actually DO it.
You may just be the inspiration to DO rather than TALK!

Love,
Sue

Anonymous said...

Hi Sheila,

Me again! I just wanted to tell you that I showed your post to my mom and grandma over the weekend and they just loved this idea. I have a container I could use for rain water. And I have an area where rain water falls right into my grill. So, I could alleviate that dilemma as well. Anyway, thanks for the idea!

it's all about the journey...