April showers bring May flowers and an opportunity.
The Garden Scoop’s rain barrel
Rainwater is the best kind of water for your lawn, trees, shrubs and flower gardens. One note I’ll make is that the University of Minnesota Extension does NOT recommend using the collected rain barrel water on your fruit or vegetable garden, saying there’s not enough research to say the water out of the barrel is safe for human consumption. An ounce of prevention and all that…
Milk jugs coming in handy
Capturing it is a good thing for several reasons. First, it’s free! It’s also a good stormwater management practice. Capturing that water before it rushes down the storm drain carrying lawn chemicals and road and driveway gunk into our lakes, rivers and ponds.
A rain barrel can save most homeowners 1300 gallons of water in one season! According to Greywater Action, a 2000 sq. ft roof can collect 1120 gallons per 1 inch rainfall.
Much prettier rain barrel than The Garden Scoop’s!
Some local county extensions and even some municipalities offer rain barrels at reduced prices. Check with your city! There are a wide variety of rain barrel options out there and you can even paint them. More information can also be found here including making your own!
Another good idea are compost bins. They can be nearly any structure that can hold debris while allowing for air circulation, water and heat (as in some sunlight) to get to the pile.
From functional (The Garden Scoop’s) to well organized and “pretty” options, what comes out of them is all the same. Good stuff! Check out our ‘Composting Made Easy’ article for much more.
A tidy tumbling composter
Environmentally yours,
