Rain Barrel Black Friday
Rain barrels and Black Friday – I know it seems an unlikely combination and yet here we are. Building a healthy garden is easier when you use fresh rain water as it is important to keeping water out of the sewer system and in your gardens; a rain barrel is good for the environment. This season we discussed how a diverter kit can help keep the mosquito population down when I installed two new rain barrels from Rain Reserve (see above). When the Rain Reserve people contacted me and said they wanted to do a Black Friday give-away I was all in – one lucky winner will win a super-cool 100 gallon build-a-barrel rain barrel tank and diverter kit (see below).
How to Win the Rain Barrel Contest —
If you would like to win a rain barrel, simply leave a comment below and tell us a quick garden tip that has helped you with your garden.
And the random number generator picked “Courtney” below as the winner who suggested using ornamental edibles in the garden – good tip! Congratulations Courtney!
THIS IS A ONE DAY CONTEST, so a random winner of a rain barrel from Rain Reserve will be selected and announced tomorrow morning on the blog post. Also – FANTASTIC NEWS – on black Friday all of my readers will get 50% off everything on the www.rainreserve.com website with promo code BFRIDAY. You will continue to get a 15% discount all the way through until Christmas. Remember – just use the code for the discount and get yourself a new rain barrel or diverter kit with the best prices around.
Sprinkling crushed egg shells below the roots when I transplanted tomatoes help me got rid of blossom end rot this year!
Some plants really prefer rain barrel water in our garden – they don’t like our hard water from the tap.
Worm composting is a great way to recycle kitchen scraps and they make the best compost. Almost magical!
Dog hair around freshly planted seeds/plants to keep the critters from digging them up!
Fabulous contest…I have always wanted a rainbarrel although we get so much rain or snow here especially this past year….I hardly watered the veg garden.
I have learned that we have to expect the unexpected these days so be prepared in the veg garden….some years it is colder so I have row covers, others it is drier so mulch. And if I want to have more success in my perennial gardens I plant natives mostly.
I’d love a rain barrel! 😀 My tip though is water less in the garden! Ha! I feel like I water too much & would like to see how my garden will be if I fuss less over it next year. Also, watermelon needs lots of sun! I learned that the hard way this past summer :-/ thanks for the chance to win!
Love the look of this great rain barrel! One thing that has helped my garden is the use of cover crops to prevent the growth of weeds and to increase soil vitality in a bed that isn’t active.
Each year, my garden gets bigger by one raised bed. I build it in the summer and fill it with compostable matter, including chicken poo, and let it bake summer and fall. Cover with black plastic over winter, and in the spring, plant in it.
Don’t every be discouraged. There WILL be failures in your garden. Even “expert” gardeners have bad years. Just learn from any mistakes you make and try again.
I cut the large end of a plastic soda bottle off and bury the other end in the mulch around my veggies. The water go directly where needed and is not wasted.
I think planting the right combination of plants, herbs and veggies for integrated pest management.
The comment by Mary R. has given me an idea. For that matter, I never stop reading about other folk’s garden triumphs.I keep a journal with photos and websites which I have read, dates that I seeded, water and temps for growing. I can’t recall it all. Then I try to put that journal(book) in a place so that I have it when needed.
I’ve learned the value of row covers for protecting my new plants from hungry bugs as well as extending my growing season. These rain barrels look fabulous!
Unfortunately in my garden, I have to have a really tall and deep fence to discourage deer and rabbits. But, I take advantage of the wood posts by hanging bird and bee houses.
I tend to look for xeric plants and plant combinstions. Mixing these in with my favorite perennials, gives me an easy care garden all season long. It is usually a win win , with my garden bursting with intwrest all season long.
I love using prairie perennials both because they don’t need water after getting established, and because I can spread them by replanting their seedlings. I also depend a lot on plants like daylilies that hold the soil well on slopes, in a yard that slopes slightly to the east and steeply to the north. I’d love a rainbarrel to help with the watering the annual vegetable plants that I add to my perennials each summer.
Try replacing ornamental perennials with ornamental edibles. There are many beautiful plants out there that also yield food. It’s like getting a two-for-one deal!
We have a recreational fishing boat. During tomato growing season, my husband gives me the fish guts, and I mix them in with the soil around my tomato plants. Best tomatoes ever grown!
The single most beneficial thing I have done to help my garden has been to focus on feeding my soil instead of buying fertilizers for my plants. When the soil is rich and healthy – primarily accomplished by adding shredded leaves and composted materials in my case – the plants don’t need anything more than water and favorable weather.
Start small and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Expect some failures and keep on keepin on! 🙂
I would LOVE to have a rain barrel for my daycare garden and I LOVE this one! 🙂 I love this contest!
Wet Friday
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As I put down new mulch in the flower boarders I mix in llama manure. The beans break down slowly providing a slow release fertilizer.
15 minutes of weeding per day will, help keep the weeds at bay!
Enjoy my soaker hose with auto timer. .. great for when I’m away during game garden season.
I am a spinner of wool, when I have wool to wash I use the water on my plants . Wool tea is a great fertilizer for your garden
cut up banana peel placed under your leaf mulch will draw earthworms to the soil surface to munch on your leaves all winter long.
My quick tip is rain related! Go out and weed right after a rain. Even dandelions come out so much easier! Nice rain barrel that doesn’t look like a rain barrel!
Always test the soil before you start adding amendments!
Go organic!
The most beneficial thing I’ve done with my gardening is to teach my young sons and get them involved! Even my youngest son (3) helps turn the soil, water the plants, and pull weeds. Growing veggies in our backyard has gotten them to eat more healthy foods.
Each fall, I put about a 6 inch layer of shredded leaves on top of my raised garden to help build garden soil structure and tilth.
raised beds
CONGRATULATIONS COURTNEY! The random number generator picked YOU to win the rain barrels! I’ll connect you with the rain barrel company via email. YAYYY!
Shawna
I have dedicated space in the garden so my two sons can grow whatever they want. With one caveat. They have to take care of their areas or dad takes it back. So far it has worked out great. I am still working on having them et everything they grow 🙂