I'm sick of paying Mobile Water to water my flowers, when the yard has stayed boggy this past week.

I got instructions off the internet for a rain barrel. I made 1 so far. Someone is bringing me 4 of the 55 gallon plastic barrels. I want to put 2 out front where I do the majority of the watering in summer. Just have to wait and see what he brings me, and if its paintable so it'll look decent out in the front.

I hooked this first one up to my gutter out back. Waiting on round 3 of rain to give it the big test. If it works ok, will hook another one up to it with the overflow spicket on the top. I put a faucet on the bottom of it. Now this is a true "Alabama Rain barrel", as I used a 35 gallon trash can to collect the rain in, and put a hole and glued screen on the top to keep trash and mosquitoes out. LOL...yep, it certainly looks like an Alabama rain barrel.

If the system works well for watering, I will work on the 4 free barrels that are coming, and figure how to make them look good!

Wish me luck!

MB, with 2 screens on the top, they "say" mosquitoes won't get in.

Suppose I'll find out, lol.

Our Easter forcast is rain, so suppose I'll find out if it works well, or if I just screwed up a good trash can!

If it doesn't work well, I can cut it down, and put it under my table saw to catch sawdust!

I know I certainly don't need a mosquito breeder though! We have more than enough here as it is.

You know Iv been wanting to do this but dang it there aint enough rain here to fill 2 nevermind 1....now watch with my luck the weather forecast will probably be accurate for the first time in ???? who knows how long and Ill have ta eat these words
Ew MB ya gave me an idear how bout we construct one of these bad boyz we get our trusty power tools out cut us a mean hole in one of these drums get a piece of plexiglass slap some E6000 on it an see if it holds tight so we kin watch the fishies while were gardenin?!

Sounds high tech compared to mine. Really cool. Tree frogs usually fill mine with tadpoles, but I like the fish idea.

Throw in a few comet goldfish or gambusia (wild guppies or "mosquito fish") to eat the skeeters that inevitably get in there. Ya don't even have to feed 'em after algae gets growin' in the barrel. Nothing better than fish emulsion for plants anyway.