Rain Barrel for the Garden
If you don’t want to put a plain old fashioned water barrel in your yard, or can’t locate one even if you did want it, then you might want to think about picking up
one of the newer rain barrels for the garden from your local home and garden store. I absolutely adore the model I picked up a few seasons ago.
It is made of plastic, has a filter lid that keeps leaf debris from entering the barrel,
is equipped with its own faucet, and if it is possible for a rain barrel to be elegant, then my model wins first prize.
I love, love, love having rainwater at hand to water my plants. The water is always the right temperature, it’s soft water, hasn’t been treated with any chemicals, and
it is just what the plant doctor ordered to keep plants well watered in the summer months. Keeping the barrel full of rain water means I am reducing my overall
water consumption, and not letting our natural source of H2O go to waste.
I used to have an ordinary metal barrel to catch the water, and had to almost fall into the barrel to get the water out from the bottom. Then, at the end of each season, I would roll it out to the back lane and tip it on its side to drain the water before freeze-up, and roll it back through my skinny gate to tuck it up against my garage for another season.
Now, I walk like the Queen over to my elegant barrel, turn the little tap on, go here and there for a few minutes, and come back to collect my watering can, filled to the brim, placing another watering can under the tap while I make the rounds with the one in hand.
It’s time for me to pick up another one. A single barrel is fine in some seasons, if
it rains often enough, but in a dryer season, it’s best to have a way to capture the water in the heavy spring rains, and have a supply at hand for the dryer spells.
Enjoy your barrel shopping this spring. I hope you find something to perfectly
suit your needs and to adorn some quiet corner of your property.
Photo and Text: NK
Copyright: NK/Cookie Buxton
