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Well here it is, almost the end of October and in Ohio, we should be winterizing our rain barrels - if we haven't already. But, the weather has been so nice - and this week is predicted to be in the 70's - that I haven't even started winterizing. In fact, I'm still using my rain barrel water on my fall mums, and boy do they look gorgeous! I did bring in my more tender plants and am using the rain water on those as well.
I know, though, that I'm going to eventually have to winterize. I have several different configurations for catching rain via the gutters. I have the Earthminded diverter and that will be simple - just disconnect the hose from the downspout and put the winterizing cap on. Then I completely empty the barrel, clean it with a little bleach solution, then store it in my garden shed. I also have a metal diverter that is connected to my downspout. Rather than dismantle that configuration, I just flip the switch to be sure the water goes back down the spouting and I store the barrel.
If storage is an issue for you, you can leave them in place, but be sure to empty the barrel. Some people turn them upside down to be sure no water gets in. Others cover their barrel wil a grill cover or somthing similar and find that works just as well.
And here's a little side note to barrel storage. The first year I used rain barrels, I stored them in the basement. The basement tends to be damp, so I have a dehumidifier running constantly. I decided to use one of the barrels to store the water from the dehumidifier and I use that water for my house plants. Since I have well water with high concentrations of iron, the plants do seem to do better with the dehumidifier water - so much so that I decided to leave a barrel in the basement to collect water!
Have suggestions about winterizing rain barrels? Share them with us!
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I had someone stop by my shop this morning asking why her compost pile is smelling. I'm sure many of you out there know the reason, but here's my take on a smelly compost pile.
An imbalance in the compostion of the pile! Many times, for those new to composting, it's easy to keep putting in those kitchen scraps - the greens (no dairy products, meats or bones please) which provide the nitrogen for our piles. And those weeds we pull all summer end up in the pile too! So we end up with way to much nitrogen rich material in our pile. We forget about the carbon-rich materials needed - dry leaves, straw, finely shredded paper or sawdust from untreated lumber. When you have too many greens the aerobic decomposer at work can't process it quick enough. Plus if your pile is too wet or has been compacted due to lack of turning, the aerobic decomposers begin to fade away and anaerobic decomposers take over. These decomposers give off smelly hydrogen sulfide gas (rotten egg smell).
So - keep your pile balanced - 3 parts carbon material to 1 part nitrogen material. Good reason to collect all those leaves in the fall - isn't it!
Also, make sure to cut your components into smaller pieces. It's easier for the decomposers to handle and quicker to end up as usable compost.
Recommendation: Pick up a copy of Composting for Dummies by Cathy Crommell a Certified Master Gardener, Master Composter and Master Entomologist. - it's the best book I've read on composting. (I do have these available at my shop for $12.95, but I'm sure you can pick one up at any book store. -
June is here! Can you believe it? With the mild winter and warm spring, all our flowers are at least a month ahead of time. And, there really hasn't been much rain - at least not like last year.
Predictions for this summer are that it's going to be hot and dry. So kuddos to all of you who have purchased and set up your rain barrels. You can catch every drop of rain that does fall and use it during the dry spells.
Take a look at what Vicki from Ohio did with the Rain Wizard Urn she purchased recently. She elevated her barrel on blocks to get good water pressure then surrounded them with stones. Looks fabulous!
She's ready for the rain!
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Hi folks,
It's been a busy year for My Garden Essentials. In addition to updating our website, we opened our first retail location at the Hartville MarketPlace in Hartville, Ohio. Visitors can see many of the barrels we sell as well as a sampling of the composters we offer on our website. We even offer DIY food grade barrels and rain barrel kits for our 'do it yourself' customers. You can purchase the DIY Kits through our website, but the DIY barrels can only be purchased at our retail space in Hartville - 1289 Edison Street NW, Booths 261&262 on the North end of the MarketPlace.
Our retail shop features many of the items found on our website as well as a variety of statues, gazing balls and gazing ball stands, lanterns that can be used as accent pieces for your yard, porch - even indoors, and an assortment of Fairy Garden items. We also have a good selection of seasonal decorations in our retail shop and feature ornaments and dolls from Katherine's Collection including many of her popular "Kissing Fish" ornaments. We hope to have many of Katherine's Collection items added to our website in the next few weeks.
So stop back often to see whats new. And if you're visiting the Hartville MarketPlace, be sure to stop by and say hello. We're right off the food court - 2nd Street North.
This is my favorite rain barrel story. Hope you enjoy it!
THE HUMBLE RAIN BARREL by Daniel E. Walsh Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series
Mary Amelia sits in the shade of a black walnut tree on a warm summer day. From a window in the house wafts the smooth, dulcet sounds of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Kay Kyser, and the music makers of the pre-war radio era. Mary Amelia keeps a notebook on her lap and faithfully pencils the lyrics of any new song that comes on.
In the early morning, she is in the sunlight. She has washed her long chestnut brown hair. She has rinsed her hair with water from the rain barrel at the corner of the house. Now it splays behind her, drying in the sun as she listens to the music. She views the white clouds in the blue sky beyond the green leaves of the walnut tree and lazily dreams the dreams of a teenage girl. She enjoys the warmth of the day and the knowledge that she can use the rainwater. The water collected from the wooden barrel makes her hair soft and easy to brush. She will be proud of her hair and wear it like a princess' raiment.
To Mary Amelia, the rain barrel was a normal feature of any household. That the water softened hair was an accepted fact and not something someone thought to bottle to sell. Mary Amelia and her family put rainwater to many uses. Flowers and plants were tended to and the garden watered. Conservation of resources at the tail end of the Depression had no special significance; it was just the way things were done.
At the same house in the same yard a couple of generations later, two young girls, Caralin and Micaela, sit and dry their hair. They listen to music from tiny machines hooked to their ears. The music they play is hardly dulcet but is as sweet to them as were the sounds of yore to Mary Amelia. The black walnut tree is just a stump—the neighbors got tired of the black stuff that would come down on their cars. In its place is a sucker tree covered with some sort of wild vine; this provides a little shade but is a poor substitute. The girls have lathered on sun screen—same sun, different effect. Wrapped in a cocoon of comfort and security with their private sounds, they too dream with the sky.
If Carlin and Micaela enjoy rainwater softness, they got it from a bottle. Products such as Nature’s Gate Rainwater Awapuhi Shampoo market this effect. They could have dipped into the rain barrel recently placed at the corner of the house and rinsed. But that’s gross, they might protest.
Yes, the rain barrel has returned. Folks have realized the benefits of rain barrel water: zero cost, easy to collect, less chemically infused than city tap for the garden, available for washing the car during restrictions, and less runoff. Options for collecting rain water range from the simple filling of a barrel to elaborate irrigation systems that water the whole lawn.
Life allows little time for the wonder and freedom of a carefree youth. The storms that lie ahead for all of us are sure to come as they did for Mary Amelia and will for the young girls, Caralin and Micaela. Collecting rainwater is not a big deal in the larger scheme of things. A small thing the rain barrel is, but a sentimental touchstone in a life. When the yearning for comfort brings one back to a safe place in memory, these small things matter. Just as the collective small efforts of many carry a great impact on the whole, so does the creation of an island of calm affect a life.
Care and sensibility are extended beyond the time of their occurrence. Responsible stewardship becomes a habit, a part of a greater fabric. These youngsters may be called to bring comfort to others and may have to go back to a special place in their experience to find the strength to do so. Like the soft pure water that falls from the sky and collects in the humble rain barrel, their tender, graceful thoughts are gifts that come from above.
Dedicated to the memory of Mary Amelia (Lee) Walsh who would sing "Playmates" to calm anxious children. http://www.bostongreenscene.net/2009/06/the-humble-rain-barrel.html
info@mygardenessentials.com
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