Wasn't sold on rain barrels until I saw my neighbor's setup

I always thought rain barrels were kind of pointless, like you'd just get a little bit of water and it'd be a hassle. But last weekend my neighbor Bob showed me his system he built for about $60 with a used food-grade barrel from a local bakery. He said his garden survived a 2-week dry spell last July just from what he'd collected. Seeing his tomatoes and peppers thriving while mine were wilting really convinced me. Plus he showed me the simple overflow valve he rigged up so it never floods. I'm planning to grab a barrel this Saturday, anyone have tips on mosquito screens?

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rose_grant784mo ago

survived a 2-week dry spell" - hold up, that's actually not how rain barrels work the best. They're good for supplementing, not fully sustaining that long unless he's got a huge setup. I got one off Craigslist a couple years back and learned that fast. A single 55-gallon barrel will maybe keep a small veggie patch going for a few days, not two weeks without rain. He probably still watered from the hose some and just didn't mention it. As for mosquitoes, grab some standard window screen and a bungee cord at the hardware store. Cut the screen a little bigger than the top, wrap it over the barrel opening, and bungee it tight. Cheap and keeps bugs out just fine.

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the_sam4mo ago

@rose_grant78 nailed it with the screen trick, I did the same thing and it keeps the larvae out way better than those fancy mesh covers from the garden store. A 55-gallon barrel runs dry fast if you're actually trying to water anything more than a few tomato plants.

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