Rain Barrels?

 Hello everyone...

First time posting here, but not new to usenet.

I live in Southern California, and while rainfall is rare, it does
happen (today for example).

For a number of reasons, I'd like to install a rain barrel.  I've
started to look at them online and I'd love some insight from any of you
that have one.

I want to find a flat backed version, as my downspout is on my driveway
and I want to minmize footprint.

Thanks in advance!

Jennifer

 
Well, the bigger the better (the more ambitious versions would have a
scavenged RV water tank, a series of rain barrels chained together, an
underground tank, etc).  Of course there is nothing wrong with working
with the space you have, testing the waters, etc.

Our 65 gallon rain barrels fill up with any moderate rain (by east
coast standards - maybe a quarter inch to an inch, not that I've tried
measuring closely).  We fill up our watering cans with them, and
depending on how much watering we are doing, a full barrel might last
us a week or a few (which is roughly the time period between rain
here).

You'll want some kind of mosquito screen (most commercial barrels have
them).

Ours has a spigot to get the water out, at the bottom of the barrel.
That means putting the barrel on a cinder block or some other
platform, so there is room for the watering can under the spigot.

It can be helpful to have a guage to see how full it is (although we
don't, and just make do by tapping it, guessing, and/or unscrewing the
top).

Any other questions?  I'm not sure other parts to talk about.

 Jim Kingdon wrote:


Thanks Jim...

We get so little rain here, in the spring/summer it can go 3 - 4 months
without a drop.  I was looking at the 40 - 50 gallon size.

Did you make your own or did you buy one?  Can you connect a hose to
your spigot?  Do you have it "anchored" to you home... for example what
keeps it from blowing away in a strong wind if empty?  I'm assuming I
will have to cut my drain pipe, any hints on that?

Jennifer

 Craig said:

This is an old tip that I've never had the occasion to test directly (but I
will comment more after):

Drive a small spade down in one or two spots  around one of your
plants and cut a few roots.  This might shock the plant into ripening
the tomatoes.

OK, this year one of the new varieties I was trying was not ripening any
tomatoes, not even a hint of color, even after all the others were doing
so.  It was so full of green tomatoes that the stake was leaning over
threatening to crash into the fence. (I have electric wires at the top so
this would have been a Bad Thing.)   I drove in a couple of small stakes
to tie off the larger one and stop the leaning.  And shortly after that, a
whole bunch of tomatoes on that plant started turning red.

 Now, I would think this was entirely coincidental, except for having
remembered that old advice.  So I may have unintentionally confirmed it
works.  Or, maybe not.  I doubt it would hurt to try.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)
  
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

 Craig said:

This is an old tip that I've never had the occasion to test directly (but I
will comment more after):

Drive a small spade down in one or two spots  around one of your
plants and cut a few roots.  This might shock the plant into ripening
the tomatoes.

OK, this year one of the new varieties I was trying was not ripening any
tomatoes, not even a hint of color, even after all the others were doing
so.  It was so full of green tomatoes that the stake was leaning over
threatening to crash into the fence. (I have electric wires at the top so
this would have been a Bad Thing.)   I drove in a couple of small stakes
to tie off the larger one and stop the leaning.  And shortly after that, a
whole bunch of tomatoes on that plant started turning red.

 Now, I would think this was entirely coincidental, except for having
remembered that old advice.  So I may have unintentionally confirmed it
works.  Or, maybe not.  I doubt it would hurt to try.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)
  
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)