Robin from UrbanGardensWeb has featured a post written by us about planting a rain garden in small urban spaces. The post explains why urban areas help channel water into storm sewers instead of being absorbed by the ground and plants and how you can plant your own urban rain garden.
Rain barrels are one of the easiest ways to save water and garden in a more environmentally-friendly manner. Rain barrels are, however, just one way to save water in the home and landscape. These other water-saving tips will help you get the most out of the rain water you have saved. They will also help you save even more water-helping the environment and your wallet!
Our rain barrel holds 65 gallons of water which can be used to water the garden or lawn, wash the car and wash windows, as well as other household chores. A frequent question regarding rain barrels is how to generate enough pressure to use the rain barrel to water directly from the barrel. There are a number of ways to generate pressure from the barrel.
Even a durable plastic rain barrel has some maintenance requirements to keep it working in tip top shape. Winter maintenance and summer maintenance differ slightly, but both are necessary to enjoy years of rainwater harvesting with your rain barrel.
Using a rain barrel to collect and store water for the garden is just one aspect of making your gardening techniques more environmentally friendly. If you’ve taken the step to install and use a rain barrel, or two or three, why not continue working toward a “greener” garden with these easy steps.
To prolong the life of your rain barrel, it is necessary to winterize it in places where the temperature regularly drops below freezing and stays below freezing for long periods at a time. If water remains in the rain barrel during these periods of cold, it will freeze, expand, and crack the rain barrel.
In warmer regions where the low temperature is rarely below 35 degrees, winterizing is not necessary. If you do plan to water year-round, whether containers, vegetables, or cool-season bedding plants, keeping the rain barrel functioning is useful. If you do not plan to water during the winter, you can save wear and tear on the rain barrel by winterizing it.
Even with a rain barrel in your garden, if you have more downspouts than barrels, or a low section of the yard, you will still need to deal with excess water running off your roof, sidewalks, patios and other impervious surfaces. Planting a rain garden is a perf
ect way to treat storm water runoff, and maintain a beautiful landscape at the same time.
Plant selection for rain gardens varies from region to region, but the overall goal remains the same: to slow runoff from hard surfaces, filter and return the water to the underground aquifer, while reducing erosion and pollution from runoff.
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You recycle aluminum cans, newspaper, and perhaps even your old electronics. But did you know that you can also recycle rainwater?
A new concept to some, rainwater reuse has actually been popular for thousands of years! Both now and in ancient times, there have been two basic categories of rainwater use: cleaning and irrigation. Let’s take a closer look at how to do both.
Rainwater harvesting is nothing new—in fact, collecting rainwater to grow crops and to wash clothing, homes, and people has been popular across the globe for thousands of years. Although rainwater isn’t suitable for use inside the home (at least, not without going through an extensive filtration process), it is perfectly suited for watering your lawn and garden and for other uses around the outside of your home.