I was just thinking the same thing as the skies opened up. It's going to rain all night here.

We are drowning here.

Fifteen minutes til the tornado warning/severe storm warning is over.

It's still good to get soaked. I just came from Longwood where hail was hitting the windows, and the road is a raging river.

Our trailer is on a hill, but we're still drowning.

I hope the rest of you guys (and your gardens) are okay.

You okay, Bridget?

Susie

We were at my In-Laws and when it started raining there I checked radar to see how my house was doing. From the way radar looked, we got a lot of rain. Upon getting home, it looks like we got more wind than rain. I got about 5-10 (probably closer to 5) gallons of rainwater added to my barrel. Still, we did get some rain and I'm not going to scoff at that!

I was at a cookout at a campground with some friends about 10 minutes from home. When it started raining, others started groaning. I said, "Are you kidding? I planted all the small stuff, after planning ALLL the small and big stuff I just got yesterday... They need this. We need this. Yes, I'm a farmer."
Ok, I should prolly 'splain: Every time someone says "We need the rain" when I want the rain to hold off, I say, "What are you: a farmer?"

Not to be confused with.... whenever anyone asks me a question I don't want to answer, my reply is, "What are you: a cop?"

See how there are subtle nuances to each. But yes, Susie... we're great here. We roasted 'smallows in the rain and drank wine and beer and made off-color jokes and all of the other things that make cookouts valuable (to me).

;)

You crack me up.....now that you're really a farmer.

Yes, we did need this. But I wish I could pipe some of this up to you, Leekle. My rain barrel was just about empty today. When it gets full, it overflows into a chain of other water holding containers - and they've all overflowed many gallons. I'm guessing all together they hold about 100 gallons coming off my double-wide's roof.

Glorious rain - and lots of lush, fresh new growth!

We got some more rain around 2130 last night and in theory we were supposed to get hit by the big system around 2400, but I wasn't awake for that. But then, rain is one of the few things to put me into a deep, sound sleep. Some day I will have to swap out my shingle roof for a metal roof. Then nobody will ever wake me up while it's raining.

Once the sun comes up I will check the barrel again and see where I'm sitting... I need to devise a level gauge so I can see how full it is at a glance instead of peaking in through the top.

And now for day three of planting the new plantings. Yay!

I'm also already taking cuttings to root for the next party!

BLAH - The 'rain' turned into just a bunch of wind for us with a few sprinkles. POOH! I was really praying for the rain. Looks like I'm going to have to turn on the dang sprinklers. :-(

Barbie, you know what stinks worse than having to turn on the sprinklers? When your sprinklers are attached to a well full of iron that stains your foliage... so you can't use it and have to water by hand using city water instead cuz you still don't have a rain barrel. *Sigh*

I would warn against getting a rain barrel. Once you get one, you will want another. And another. And another.

A 55 gallon barrel full of rainwater seems like a lot, but it goes fairly quickly! Especially if you have drip line attached that you tend to run for an hour each morning (if no rainfall). I only have my one, but I have already planned on adding at least 3 more!

But if the rain water is free... and I think it still is... then why do I not want rain barrels?

I had some rain early eveing last night too...but only for about 20-30 minutes, got about half an inch...not complaining. Filled my 55 gallon rain barrel :o)

I wish I had 2 rain barrels but I'm pretty happy with the one I have, mostly I use it for my Potted plants.
Hope we get a little more rain today...

Because... they're like Pringles... once you collect, you can't stop... it sounded better in the Pringles commercial... because it rhymed. At least I think it was the Pringles commercials. "Once you pop, you can't stop." Or something like that. So by all means, get a rain barrel and start collecting. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you start looking at all the areas around your house where you might be able to squeeze one more and trying to devise sophisticated manifold systems so that all the barrels are connected to maintain an even level in all of them.

Yeah, my rain collection contraption looks pretty crappy with the PVC pipes connecting all the buckets and trash cans so one flows into the next one. But the former owner left all these containers and the rain was washing away the hillside on which the trailer sits, so I just put the biggest one under the downspout. And then it became an obsession - whatever holds water gets added to the motley menagerie.

Time to get serious and redirect funds to the rain barrel beautification project. It's a wonder they let us live in this neighborhood for as long as they have with all this fugly going on in the back!

I need rain barrels.

Good grief! I just did some shopping for rain barrels! Why is a big plastic tub with a hose nozzle so &$@#ing expensive????

Because they're hugely popular right now and some people will pay those prices.

I need to get into the rain barrel business.

These don't look all that expensive. Now if I could just find a metal 55 gallon drum.

Here is a link that might be useful: plastic 55 gallon barrel

Metal? I'm confused. Again.

After seeing my rain barrels, some of my neighbors thought it was a good idea but not the price tag, so they locally found some pickle barrels for free and painted them the same color of the house. I don't know from the people that came to the house last Saturday if anyone saw them down the street, they have like 6 and painted them beige like the house, they look good and serve the purpose.

Silvia

I think most of the County Extension offices have a two hour make-and-take Rain Barrel Workshops two or three times a year. The cost is usually $45 which includes the rain barrel. The most recent one in Duval County was March 15. I have never done it but it sounds fun. Has anyone here ever gone and made one? How did it go? And how do you like your rain barrel?

Below is a link to a list of all the County Extension offices if you would like to contact yours.

Carol in Jacksonville

Here is a link that might be useful: Local County Extension Offices

Mt. Dora has rain barrels that are available to the public. I emailed them and inquired about the rain barrels and, if memory serves (which it probably doesn't), they said that the prices were $30 for Mt. Dora residents and $35 for non-residents. Almost all the ones listed on Craig's List that are fairly local to me are for about $25 and up. But I tend to keep my eyes open as I drive along to see if there are any places that have barrels stockpiled behind their business. No luck so far. I figure next time I'm down Mt. Dora way, I will have to keep room open in the back of my SUV for another barrel. My first barrel was acquired from the Wings and Wildflowers festival in Tavares last October.

shear,

I am looking for a couple steel barrels to use in making bio char for my dirt garden.

Bio char?
Dirt garden?

I have SO much to learn!

I did a test this spring using bio char from our fire pit as an amendment. I built a fire and put it out when it was all black charcoal, before it turned to white ash. Along with some compost, I turned it in the soil and I have to say, the tomatoes planted there are doing very, very well.