The Garden Shedde

In this day and age when the economy is getting hit hard and we are getting hit harder with bills, it just pays to start thinking green. I recently got a notice in the mail that the water department was going to start charging extra if we went over the allotted water limit per household. I guess at that moment, my beautiful green luscious yard was a curse although I had never seen it that way previously. How was I going to stay under my limit when my veggies and grass need its daily watering?

Thank goodness for the internet and searching for ‘green gardening’ because I found a couple things that have worked wonders for me. First I ordered a collapsible rain barrel that could easily be set up to catch runoff from the gutter and be hooked up to the lawn hose – a simple way to recycle water! And why stop with just recycling water when there is so much that I was throwing out from the fridge that could be used in a compost bin. I’m glad to say my yard has been able to stay ‘luscious’ even in these hard times thanks to these products.

Rain Barrels are one of those things we talk about but never seem to get around to actually buying and using until we have experienced a drought or water restriction in our area and then we think; we should have done that! But why should you really consider a rain barrel? Here are my top five reasons.

1. Water is a limited natural resource that we can harness and use at little or no cost.
2. Most Rain Barrels are made from recycled materials thus we are reducing our eco footprint.
3. All life needs water to live so it makes since to have as much water as possible on hand, especially when it comes direct from Mother Nature.
4. A roof area of only 1,000 square feet can provide approximately 600 gallons of water during a one inch rainfall so it is very efficient.
5. Rainwater is free of salts and other minerals that can harm plants and root growth so it is always a good source for plants.

Just think if we all collected enough rain water to water our plants and yards we would have more water for everyday use.

It is funny how so many things that were used back in the day (a long time ago) are coming full circle and becoming all the rage again.  One of those things is the lowly rain barrel.  Rain Barrels used to be used for one thing and one thing only; capturing water today to be used somewhere else in the future.  There were issues with them that included attracting bugs were also overcome by using the water sooner rather than later for watering crops and gardens.

Today’s rain barrels are more sophisticated and have solved the problems of the past.  They capture clean water to use for your potted plants and garden as well as help reduce runoff.  This is a great way to reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides that wash into our rivers, lakes and streams.  The new barrels have lids that prevent the stagnant water developing and attracting pests and bacteria as well as having hoses for easily getting the water out of the barrel and onto the plant areas.  It’s just a great way to save on water usage, cost and reduce waste water into the environment.  A win, win, win for everyone!