That neighbor's advice about rain barrels actually worked out

My neighbor Carol kept telling me to get a rain barrel for my garden, and I figured it was just her being a bit extra about stuff. But after she showed me her water bill last July was only $22 compared to my $78, I finally caved and put one in off my garage downspout. Been using it for 3 weeks now and my tomatoes are doing fine even with the drought we're having here in central Ohio. Anyone else had luck cutting down on city water use with one?

3 comments

3 Comments

harperg767d ago

I hear you on "her water bill was only $22" and I get why that's tempting, but for me the savings just didn't pan out. I tried a rain barrel for two summers in Columbus and between cleaning out the gutter screens and dealing with mosquito larvae, I was spending more on maintenance than I saved. Plus my tomatoes actually looked worse because the barrel water was sitting in the sun and getting too warm for them. I ended up pulling the whole setup out and going back to the hose.

nora1106d ago

I had a similar issue with my rain barrel in Portland until I painted it white. The white color kept the water cooler and my peppers actually did better. I also bought those mosquito dunks from the garden store, theyre like little donuts that dissolve and kill the larvae but are safe for plants. For the gutter screens I just gave up and put a fine mesh sock over the downspout where it goes into the barrel, way less cleaning. I only use the barrel for flowers and shrubs now though, not veggies. The water bill savings were tiny for me too but I just liked having the water for my garden hose im between rainy days.

dianahayes6d ago

Oh man, same here. I tried one for a summer in Denver and the whole thing was just a hassle. The mosquito situation alone drove me crazy, and I swear my basil looked sadder than when I just used tap water. I gave up after one season and never looked back.