Use less water, keep plants healthy
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007
The nation has been in a bit of a drought, and it’s affecting Cincinnati as well. I know something’s up when I make it through a whole session of softball without any rainouts.
I met a woman on my vacation who said in New Mexico, droughts come with the territory and if you want to have any plants that require maintenance, you need to have a rain barrel.
A rain barrel is just that, a way to store water coming through your downspout so that you can utilize it on your yard. It’s a free way to water the grass, and will help the nation’s water store last longer and sustain our health and sanitation during drought-like conditions.
You can find a rain barrel at farm supply stores, or make your own.
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trying desperately to locate a plastic barrel for making a rain barrel and even the farming supply stores have none. I called the ohio soil and water conservation society and they had never even heard of a rain barrel. This was shocking to me. Any help you can give me on locating a couple of barrels would be wonderful. i would like to make these before the season turns dry. Thanks
Hi Catherine,
Contact the Cincinnati Civic Garden Center
2715 Reading Rd.
http://www.civicgardencenter.org/
They have the “blue” barrels that are recommended for rain barrels. They also carry the hardware kit for them for $25.
We’ve been informed that you can also contact a local winery and see if you can buy an old wine barrel which also works.
Just be careful what type of barrel you use as they are color-coded for safety. You don’t want to buy a barrel that previously held chemicals, etc.