Free Water for Gardens
O ne of my latest projects has been to install rainbarrels to collect rain water coming off the roof. We use this water to water all our flower gardens and potted flowers. I also use it for the lawn. This free water allows our house to look like a colorful and lush flowering oasis. I had actually purchased the rainbarrels last summer. Unfortunately, one of them arrived with a fast leak in the barrel itself around the spigot valve so that rainbarrel sat around empty until this season. I set them up on a stand anyway, rearranged the downspout off the gutter so it will fill the rainbarrels with rain water, plumbed both rainbarrels, and then attacked the leaking problem first thing this spring. My first attempt at fixing the leaking rainbarrel last summer was a failure. Finding the right adhesive to seal these barrels was a problem. After my first failure, I ordered a tube of roofing cement and a small sheet of black acrylic. First thing this spring, I cut the acrylic to fit over