Saturday, March 26, 2011

Making a rain barrel



One of the best things we did was add rain barrels
to our landscape.  The weather patterns here have changed over the   5+ years we have been living in Central Florida. 
No longer can we anticipate any consistent rainstorms
in the afternoon during the summer months.  
It's one of the things I miss most...



Vessels filled with the liquid gold are a sight for sore eyes.
I guess I am easily contented,
but it does my heart good to know that
there will be plenty of clean water
to indulge the plant life around here.
The bonus is that Mother Nature provides it free of charge.



The convenience of having water right next to the garden
makes it less likely that I will forget to keep the soil moist.
I enjoy physical labor, so the idea of carrying water
to its distribution place does not deter me.
Rather, it helps me feel connected to the garden,
and to those who came before me
working as farmers to provide others
with food, flowers and beauty.



Because of the HOA in our neighborhood,
we have been forced to
so it is a bit more trouble to have to tote water
from the back to water the front garden. 
No matter.  I am happy to do it,
knowing I'm not spending one penny
to keep the garden growing.


The following link is from one of my favorite
newsletters, Living the Country Life.
Rain barrels are part of our lifestyle.
How 'bout you?

Making a Rain Barrel
(I miss Paul James.)

Tuesday Garden Party Co-Hosts 




8 comments:

  1. Good for you guys! What a wonderful way to conserve water and make sure your garden is well cared for.

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  2. Those barrels look very pretty. Mine are very ugly, but do the job. I just can't believe the things that are 'illegal' these days. Its better to let all the rain go down the storm drains that can't handle it all and then flood. Then you have to buy city water filled with chemicals to put on you plants that you eat. Yep, makes no sense.

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  3. Bravo - and the "free" water is just so much better for your plants :-)

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  4. I love your rain barrels,rain water is so good for everything,flowers and veggys. Blessings jane

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  5. I read an article on rain barrels after I saw yours, it said the reason that plants (and your hair and skin) love it is because it evaporates to make H202...hydrogen peroxide! that would make it super oxygenated! I have to have some rain barrels...I just loathe paying the city for chlorinated icky water...

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  6. Homesteading Quest-I feel it wouldn't be right not to use what Mother Nature provides for us.

    Jane-Yeah, I'm right there with ya.
    Makes no sense.
    These are food-grade barrels I actually got from our extension center.

    Dani-Most definitely better!

    Jane-Thanks! Yeah, I wish we could recycle it to use in the house!

    Lisa-Hmmm, never heard that, but I could believe it. After all, Mother Nature knows what she's doing! Looking forward to seeing your barrels!

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  7. I love my rain barrels, but they are empty right now. Hopefully they will get filled up on Monday! Love the vine growing around yours. Is that sweet potato?

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  8. NanaK-Yep, it's sweet potato. I was growing it on the barrel so the HOA wouldn't complain, but it didn't help. We had to move it anyway.

    Yes, let's hope for a toad-strangler this week! Hoping for full barrels at your place.

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!