Well, I've fallen behind in my garden reports. But we've been keeping busy learning about plant classification, the parts of plants we eat, and the way a seed works, not to mention our work outside planting seeds, thinning, and quite a bit of watering (made necessary by a rather dry spring so far). Yesterday, two Chillis and I spread manure and sowed wildflower seeds in the corner made by a brick wall on the northwest corner of the library property, and could only hope it would get a good dousing from Mother Nature. Lo! it is raining as I write – a good, steady, gentle, drenching rain.
There are a lot of reasons why rainwater is best for the garden. Here are a few:
- It's free!
- It’s better for the plants and the soil (and all those helpful microorganisms living in the soil). According to Urban Garden Solutions, rainwater is free of the chlorine, fluoride, and other minerals often added to municipal water – things that can harm the life in the soil. Also, rainwater normally contains a lot of oxygen and has a slightly acidic pH, helping plants absorb nutrients more easily.
- Using rainwater reduces demand on our limited supply of groundwater.
- Catching rainwater reduces runoff that (due in part to our love of concrete and mono-cropping, which deplete the earth’s capacity to absorb and filter water) can cause flooding and erosion, as well as wash contaminants and pollutants into our watersheds.
So, how to take advantage of this watery gift? It’s easier than you might think. There are several different approaches to harvesting and storing rainwater for use in the garden, but one popular and feasible method is using a rain barrel in conjunction with the gutter system already in place on your house. Commercial rain barrels are available for purchase, or you can make your own (and save some $) by reusing large plastic barrels (most often they come in the 55 gallon size, which will fill up quickly in a downpour). You can frequently find barrels for sale on Craigslist or similar sites. Make sure you know what was previously stored in them (nothing toxic), and clean them out well before using them.
There are many ways to convert a barrel into a rainwater receptacle, and plenty of tutorials are available online. Here are some pictures of barrels constructed by Chillicothe’s own Mike Contratto, who combined his engineering skills and gardening know-how to do a demonstration at the library last summer.
There are a lot of reasons why rainwater is best for the garden. Here are a few:
- It's free!
- It’s better for the plants and the soil (and all those helpful microorganisms living in the soil). According to Urban Garden Solutions, rainwater is free of the chlorine, fluoride, and other minerals often added to municipal water – things that can harm the life in the soil. Also, rainwater normally contains a lot of oxygen and has a slightly acidic pH, helping plants absorb nutrients more easily.
- Using rainwater reduces demand on our limited supply of groundwater.
- Catching rainwater reduces runoff that (due in part to our love of concrete and mono-cropping, which deplete the earth’s capacity to absorb and filter water) can cause flooding and erosion, as well as wash contaminants and pollutants into our watersheds.
So, how to take advantage of this watery gift? It’s easier than you might think. There are several different approaches to harvesting and storing rainwater for use in the garden, but one popular and feasible method is using a rain barrel in conjunction with the gutter system already in place on your house. Commercial rain barrels are available for purchase, or you can make your own (and save some $) by reusing large plastic barrels (most often they come in the 55 gallon size, which will fill up quickly in a downpour). You can frequently find barrels for sale on Craigslist or similar sites. Make sure you know what was previously stored in them (nothing toxic), and clean them out well before using them.
There are many ways to convert a barrel into a rainwater receptacle, and plenty of tutorials are available online. Here are some pictures of barrels constructed by Chillicothe’s own Mike Contratto, who combined his engineering skills and gardening know-how to do a demonstration at the library last summer.
Find out more about rainwater and water catchment:
Pictures of rain barrels in Central Illinois posted by the Sierra Club: http://illinois.sierraclub.org/hoi/fun/pictures.htm
U of I Extension, “Rain Barrels Make a Comeback”: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_02/summer_04_06.cfm
Pictures of rain barrels in Central Illinois posted by the Sierra Club: http://illinois.sierraclub.org/hoi/fun/pictures.htm
U of I Extension, “Rain Barrels Make a Comeback”: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_02/summer_04_06.cfm