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Post by daylilydude on Nov 18, 2017 9:36:38 GMT -5
I know some have those rain barrels that they catch rainwater in, but can you store that over winter in that drum... do you think if you put it in like gallon milk jugs and stored it that way in a little out of the way spot that you could use it for like when your starting seeds... your thoughts?
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Post by paulf on Nov 18, 2017 11:11:00 GMT -5
We used to have a couple of rain barrels, but didn't use them enough. Even had faucets near the bottom to hook up a hose and a mosquito screen on top. Just sat there empty most of the time because it had been so dry. Using the rain water would be a great idea...I just didn't make it work.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Nov 18, 2017 11:41:31 GMT -5
Well, I've had a rain barrel for three years now, but have yet to use it! If I ever do, I'll be able to answer the winter question. We bought a blue barrel and DH added all the necessary components to attach it to a rain gutter- as well as a spigot for getting the water out. But he never connected it to the downspout, so it just sits next to the house, empty and unused. Here, I think part of winter prep would be to at least make sure the water level was several inches below the top of the barrel in preparation for freezing. Otherwise the barrel could burst if it were full and it froze. I don't know that I would go so far as to store rainwater in gallon jugs to use over the winter- would it need to be treated somehow for storage?
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Post by spike on Nov 18, 2017 13:00:59 GMT -5
There is enough wet coming down here that I don't need to worry about saving rain water over the winter. I do have 3 rain barrels (2-30 gallon garbage cans and an actual rain barrel) that I use constantly. Keep skeeter dunks in them. I also have a well so don't have to worry about "city water" chemicals or whatever.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 18, 2017 13:36:39 GMT -5
A 30 and 50 outside for over 20 years. Also a 30 in the basement which is filled each fall from the outside pair and used for the potted plants which spend the winter there. By time to put them back outside, the barrel is about empty. For starting plants inside, 50-gallon aquarium supplies ample aged and fertile water.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Nov 18, 2017 14:09:05 GMT -5
I have an 85 gal barrel in which I save the rain from the back half of my house. It has a nozzle about 3" from the bottom, to which I connect a line to my herb bed, about 3' from it, and I have 3 lines of T tape in the small herb bed, and the pressure from the barrel is enough to slowly water the bed. I close the nozzle after rain, then open again, when the herbs need water. A couple of days ago, I opened the nozzle and emptied almost all of the water out, since it will be freezing soon, and I put a flexible 4" hose over the downspout, which will stay until spring.
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Post by spacecase0 on Nov 20, 2017 0:14:05 GMT -5
I have to save water for the summer last place I lived had set up a 1000 gallon tank under the gutter spout, would fill up with 1/2 inch of rain had 3 other tanks, 2500 gallons each that I fill with the 1000 gallon tank and it all seems to work pretty well
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Post by Gianna on Dec 17, 2017 20:35:28 GMT -5
I save rainwater for my blueberries. Ive tried all sorts of containers and the smaller they are, the less likely I am to use them. I have 4 downspouts, all with tubing/hoses that lead to a 400 gallon in-ground old spa. From that spa, I use pumps to relocate the water into larger 'holding tanks' which are small, vinyl swimming pools that hold anywhere from about 500 to 1,500 gallons. I also have a good number of sound 32 gallon trash cans.
I would love to have real tanks, but they are expensive and difficult to deliver. Maybe one day.
From the various holding containers, I water the blueberries using submersible pumps with a hose. I use mosquito dunks for containers that I add soluble fertilizers to, and goldfish when nothing is added to the water. I cover the pools with plastic and a tarp to thwart evaporation, but I still lose about 10%. It's always good to get a late rain to top everything off.
It is absolutely amazing how much water can be captured from a roof. With all 4 rain gutters hooked up, if memory serves, I harvest about 100 gallons from each quarter inch that falls. It takes a healthy tenth of an inch before the roof starts 'flowing'.
I usually like to let the first inch or so just drain off cuz it tends to be dirty. But after that, it's all gold...
I hope it starts raining soon. I want to refill my containers.
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Post by paquebot on Dec 17, 2017 23:14:28 GMT -5
Still on this topic, have often seen lots of worry about mosquito control. Think of something. If you have problems with mosquitoes in your rain barrels, you don't need the barrels. I do get some to the wiggler stage but dip out water with a pail or watering can. Wigglers are at the top and end up being sucked into whatever is used. I garden in a lot of containers and they go through a lot of water. No time for the mosquitoes to complete their life cycle.
For control, don't need any expensive poisons. If you see wigglers, just takes a few drops of vegetable oil. Creates a film that they can't breathe through.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Gianna on Dec 18, 2017 0:41:00 GMT -5
It's been close to 250 days since our last rain. To have saved enough water for the summer requires some of the water to sit for half a year. During that length of time, mosquitoes can be a problem for some of us. I prefer to use biological controls - fish and frogs (tadpoles) work pretty well. But when a container gets low, you have to move them, and that can be a chore. Unfortunately I've also killed a couple goldies when mixing things for my blueberries.
As for dipping them out, our local mosquito wigglers swim to the bottom with the least disturbance of water, so dipping them is not the most efficient fix. Sometimes I can dip out a good number and those I quite enjoy pouring into the main fishpond where most of the goldies live. Unfortunately I think any oil on the water would also be harmful to the fish. That's why I prefer the dunks - they aren't that expensive, and are said to not harm anything in the garden.
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Post by paquebot on Dec 18, 2017 1:43:26 GMT -5
Now here's where the mosquito thing gets more complicated and contradictory. If there are fish in the water storage, there should be zero wigglers. No egg rafts should ever hatch. I also have had a goldfish pond for at least 45 years and not a single wiggler has ever been seen. In early morning, one can hear the fish slurping mosquito egg rafts from the night before. The fish have to come in during the winter and they are currently in a 50-gallon aquarium. (Also have one leopard from this year and he's in the refrigerator.) If I lived in Zone 10, I'd have goldfish in a pond but guppies, platys, or gambusia in a barrel. No big deal to give them temporary quarters and can seemingly multiply faster than mosquitoes.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 18, 2017 10:04:19 GMT -5
I have a 300 gallon tank where I collect rainwater from my rainspout over the gardening season. I have an underground hose that goes to the garden and I use the water all summer on the garden but at the end of the season I drain the tank and let it remain empty over the winter. I usually add some bleach before the final emptying to kill any algae inside the tank and hoses and then empty it on an area of the yard that I don't care about since it may kill some grass.
My tank does have a mosquito screen over the top where the rainspout enters the tank.
Over the winter I just use my well water and am happy with that.
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Post by Gianna on Dec 18, 2017 15:37:10 GMT -5
I've also never seen a wiggler where there are fish. Really the only problem container is the larger uncovered one in which I have water - often tap water - where I acidify blueberry water. Fish cannot survive the constant changes.
My containers similar to traditional rain barrels (32 gallon trash cans) are covered and never have wigglers either.
I use goldfish because they stay outside all year and can take the water conditions, and temperatures in which they live. 'They' give Gambusia away locally - but the office is 30+ miles from here, and not worth a trip when the goldies work just fine. Right now with rainy season supposed to start, I keep the water level low (probably just over 100 gallons) so I can catch as much rain as possible, and the mineral content and pH are likely on the high side. But the fish seem happy because they keep producing young ones. I think I've had these guys and offspring about a decade. 45 years is most impressive.
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Post by spacecase0 on Dec 18, 2017 16:16:20 GMT -5
I use aluminum window screen to keep mosquitoes out if they can't get in to lay eggs, none show up in the water have 1/2 inch hardware cloth over the screen to keep the leaves and cats out
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