Over a (rain) barrel

Having a garden takes a lot of water.

For years I lugged watering cans and hoses to my garden beds. It was dirty work, and added up when I bought my home.

About three or four years ago I went to a Cumberland River Compact training about water conservation and learned how to make my own rain barrel. I'd been wanting one for a while, and was excited to bring one home to test out.

I was reticent to saw off one of the drain pipes on the house, so I connected it to one of the gutter downspouts at the back of the garage closest to the largest vegetable garden bed. Worked like a charm. When it rained.

Summers in Nashville can be dry or wet, seldom in between. With high humidity, there can be scattered thunderstorms in the afternoons, as the heat and humidity build up along with the daily high temperatures. When I lived here in the summers of 1993 & 1994, it seemed like the skies opened each afternoon at 4:00pm, just as the government workers were leaving their offices.

Last winter was particularly cold here, with sustained temperatures below freezing. That had an adverse effect on my rain barrel, which managed to split along the bottom from water freezing and expanding into ice over and over again.

It was a no brainer to get another rain barrel from the Cumberland River Compact. I'd rather give my money to an organization dedicated to protecting our rivers and streams for a re-purposed plastic barrel to feed my veggies for many years to come. I've also learned my lesson...turn the barrel over in the fall and empty out all the water.

It's easy to do your part for the environment these days. Just do one thing at a time.