I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this question. If somewhere else is better feel free to move it.
I'm getting 2 55 gal barrels this weekend that I'm going to use as rain barrels. I already checked and they were used for food products and no chemicals so that's a good start.
My question is if you have a rain barrel how do you keep mosquitoes from laying eggs in it? OR other bugs from using it.
I was thinking of two ways of possibly doing this but didn't know if one was better then the other or if someone had a better suggestion. 1. I was thinking just cutting off the top or a big whole in the top and streching some sort of screen accross it. OR 2 thinking about seeling it off straight to the gutter pipe. But I didn't know if the mosquitoes would be smart enough to fly down the gutter pipe.
Thoughts Ideas Suggestions
- smokensqueal
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- smokensqueal
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- smokensqueal
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Ah ya That might work better. Yes I did put a spigot on the bottom so I don't think I'll need to remove the screen at least for a long while. I'm going to see how my current set up works for a little while if need to I will redesign something over the winter.
We got our first rain yesterday since I've had my rain barrel in and my rain gauge said we only had about a 1/4 inch and my rain barrel was full!
We got our first rain yesterday since I've had my rain barrel in and my rain gauge said we only had about a 1/4 inch and my rain barrel was full!
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- rainbowgardener
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I ordered my rain barrel online here:
[url=https://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Keywordsearch?DefaultButton=findSimple&ViewAll=1&q=rain+barrel]rain barrels[/url]
I have the 75 gallon one. I've had it about 5 or 6 years now and it works great, I love it. I'm going to get another one this year.
[url=https://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Keywordsearch?DefaultButton=findSimple&ViewAll=1&q=rain+barrel]rain barrels[/url]
I have the 75 gallon one. I've had it about 5 or 6 years now and it works great, I love it. I'm going to get another one this year.
Last year, Northern tool had this rain barrel on sale for about $60 each... [url]https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200358913_200358913[/url]Cerbiesmom wrote:Where do you get rain barrels?
It has a screw-off lid on the top. The threaded section on top of the barrel "stands up" about an inch or so. I got some window screen material, placed it over the whole, and then used a large Cable Tie to secure the screen (by tightening the Cable Tie around that raised threaded section of the barrel).
Works great... screen stays in place, no bugs, no debris in the barrel.
- applestar
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Last year my county recycling department had a sale on Compost Bins and Rain Barrels. I'm thinking $45 for Compost Bins and maybe mmm.. I want to say $55 or $65 for Rain Barrels. I bought two and wish I'd bought another one, though a third one would actually be hard to situate since one remaining down spout is behind a big Rhodo and the another one is right next to the meters and all the cable access, but I'm thinking I could do something with the last available down spout.
This year, I also put an open storage tub along one side of the shed so water from the shed roof can go in it. It doesn't have a rain gutter and I was thinking I would install one, but it seems like the tub fills up after a good rain. As soon as it got warm enough for mosquitoes, I bought a dozen feeder gold fish and put them in the tub. They seem to be quite happy in there. It's right next to the compost pile which is situated a little too far for my garden hose and inconvenient to water before. Now, I just dip out the green algae/goldfish water .
This year, I also put an open storage tub along one side of the shed so water from the shed roof can go in it. It doesn't have a rain gutter and I was thinking I would install one, but it seems like the tub fills up after a good rain. As soon as it got warm enough for mosquitoes, I bought a dozen feeder gold fish and put them in the tub. They seem to be quite happy in there. It's right next to the compost pile which is situated a little too far for my garden hose and inconvenient to water before. Now, I just dip out the green algae/goldfish water .
- gixxerific
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Do you have your downspout going into it? And does it overflow much? I'm pretty sure you get a lot of rain there I know I do here and am worried about them overflowing all the time.rainbowgardener wrote:I ordered my rain barrel online here:
[url=https://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Keywordsearch?DefaultButton=findSimple&ViewAll=1&q=rain+barrel]rain barrels[/url]
I have the 75 gallon one. I've had it about 5 or 6 years now and it works great, I love it. I'm going to get another one this year.
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- Gary350
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Put the screen wire over the top of the barrel and pull it down around the sides. Then buy 2 of those elastic bungie cords and hook them together to double the length of the bungie cord then pull the bungie cord around the top end of the barrel to hold the screen wire in place. I could not find a bungie cord long enough to go all the way around the barrel so I had to use 2 of them. A rope twice around the barrel then tie the ends will work too but the bungie is quick and easy to remove and put back on. Water faucet 2" from the bottom of the 55 gallon barrel with a garden hose attached works good for me.
- rainbowgardener
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- rainbowgardener
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Just got my second rain barrel and got it set up. Of course it being MY property, the spot where it goes, slopes sharply in two directions, so getting it levelled was quite tricky. Now I just have to cut into the downspout to put the diverter in. But there's no rain in the forecast for a week, so I have some time.
New price update !!!
Thanks to one of my Master Gardener friends, I learned that our local Farmer's Co-Op has barrels for only $17.99 !
The ones that I found are a red/brown-ish color, and appear to be about 50+ gallons in size; they were Olive barrels from Greece. They have large screw-off lids. The barrels are not already fitted with spigots or overflows, but that will be easy enough to add.
That's the best deal that I have seen on "food grade" barrels.
Thanks to one of my Master Gardener friends, I learned that our local Farmer's Co-Op has barrels for only $17.99 !
The ones that I found are a red/brown-ish color, and appear to be about 50+ gallons in size; they were Olive barrels from Greece. They have large screw-off lids. The barrels are not already fitted with spigots or overflows, but that will be easy enough to add.
That's the best deal that I have seen on "food grade" barrels.
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- applestar
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Me too! You quickly realize that one barrel is not enough at the bottom of the main roof down spouts....
I have a rather elaborate scheme for one of the rain barrels and its downspout that is still being noodled, but I'd love to get a second barrel to connect up to it for now because it goes from empty to overflowing in a few hours when it DOES rain. (In unwatered parts of the yard, the ground is starting to crack....)
I have a rather elaborate scheme for one of the rain barrels and its downspout that is still being noodled, but I'd love to get a second barrel to connect up to it for now because it goes from empty to overflowing in a few hours when it DOES rain. (In unwatered parts of the yard, the ground is starting to crack....)
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All this talk of rain barrels.......
With the slope, rather lack of, and numbers of containers, I don't think I could use the conventional rain barrel. Also would be most ineffective now without rain!
I did put a 32 gal heavy duty plastic Brut garbage can on the deck. Fills with rain, when it rains. In the meantime, fill with garden hose. In the AM can hand dip to water the heavy drinkers (sweet potato vine, basil). By afternoon water too hot in barrel to use. I can keep the lid on (except when raining) which keeps the junk and skeetoes out. Every 2 -3 days water the less heavy drinkers with the hose. I have (shredded hardwood) mulch on most of the containers which helps keep the moisture.
With the slope, rather lack of, and numbers of containers, I don't think I could use the conventional rain barrel. Also would be most ineffective now without rain!
I did put a 32 gal heavy duty plastic Brut garbage can on the deck. Fills with rain, when it rains. In the meantime, fill with garden hose. In the AM can hand dip to water the heavy drinkers (sweet potato vine, basil). By afternoon water too hot in barrel to use. I can keep the lid on (except when raining) which keeps the junk and skeetoes out. Every 2 -3 days water the less heavy drinkers with the hose. I have (shredded hardwood) mulch on most of the containers which helps keep the moisture.
Now, here's the makings of a good experiment: watered with hose-water or watered with rain water. As soon as I get a barrel setup, I'm going to go try that.
Don't hold you breath on it, though, as the barrel is still in the planning stage.
I heard from a friend where he read that that roof-runoff water wasn't good for a garden due to the chemicals from the shingles. However, I've yet to find any scientific proof of this myself.
Don't hold you breath on it, though, as the barrel is still in the planning stage.
I heard from a friend where he read that that roof-runoff water wasn't good for a garden due to the chemicals from the shingles. However, I've yet to find any scientific proof of this myself.
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Being on city water, even when barrels run out it still gives me a place to gass off water (getting the chlorinie out takes about twenty four hours of sitting)...
Still some of all that rain left in there, but I am getting stingy. Everyone gets a good water tomorrow morning B4 work, corn got a good shot today, rows yesterday. Parts of the garden are looking a bit worn. Even the perfoliate compass plant looks a little wilty (and it must have a six foot tap root by now).
We need rain... global warming sucks...
HG
Still some of all that rain left in there, but I am getting stingy. Everyone gets a good water tomorrow morning B4 work, corn got a good shot today, rows yesterday. Parts of the garden are looking a bit worn. Even the perfoliate compass plant looks a little wilty (and it must have a six foot tap root by now).
We need rain... global warming sucks...
HG
Applestar Thanks for the reply! I thought rain water had nitrogen in it??? So what exactly is in rain water vs. well water? I always thought rain water had more N than regular well water, and I know for fact that rain water is better for plants than well water. What's the diff?? Pardon the ignorance! lol
I don't know why that would be true, unless the well had some sort of "contamination" (sulfur, chemicals, sewage, etc...).yuppupcs wrote:... and I know for fact that rain water is better for plants than well water. ...
I think the reason most people like to use rain water in the garden is because it's free [excluding the costs in materials to collect it], and it does not contain the chlorine that will be in most "city" water.
- smokensqueal
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There's nothing wrong with well water as long as it's not treated or the underground water table isn't contaminated. With that being said well water is typically used for house hold things including drinking. The idea behind a rain barrel is 1. Not having to use water from a treatment plant that has chemicals in it. 2. it's FREE and 3. it's not depleting our clean drinkable water.
So if you have well water that you use for drinking then there the reason for using a rain barrel would be more related to #3 and possibly #2.
As far as the exact difference it's really hard to know. Rain water is fairly consistent but well water will have different minerals (like lime) and things in it from the ground (good and possibly bad). Same goes for water from a dehumidifier.
So if you have well water that you use for drinking then there the reason for using a rain barrel would be more related to #3 and possibly #2.
As far as the exact difference it's really hard to know. Rain water is fairly consistent but well water will have different minerals (like lime) and things in it from the ground (good and possibly bad). Same goes for water from a dehumidifier.