DoomsdaysCW3d ago

#NapervilleIL - #TheConservationFoundation
#RainBarrels & #Composters

"One simple, efficient, low-cost method to reduce the amount of #StormwaterRunoff from your property is to use rain barrels. Estimates indicate that a quarter-inch of rain falling on an average home yields over 200 gallons of water. Rain barrels are simply large containers that help conserve stormwater from your roof that would otherwise be lost as runoff. Modern rain barrels are sealed, safe around children and insect resistant – they can even be painted or decorated to your liking. You can divert water from your downspout to fill your rain barrel and a hose spigot on the front makes the water easy to access and use.

The Conservation Foundation sells rain barrels, also known as #WaterBarrels, year-round through our partnership with Upcycle Products, Inc. Our 55-gallon rain barrels are made of recycled food-grade plastic, come in a variety of colors and can be purchased for $72.00 (plus tax) for pick-up at #McDonaldFarm in Naperville.

Composters

When we compost our #KitchenScraps and #YardWaste we reduce the amount of material going to the #landfills and instead return nutrients to the #soil. The many benefits of #composting include reducing the amount of material going to landfills and adding organic matter to our #garden beds. This improves soil structure and texture, increases the soil’s ability to hold both water and air, improves soil fertility, and stimulates healthy root development in plants. And it saves you money so you don’t have to buy chemical fertilizers!

Upcycle compost bins (stationary and tumbling) are the same size as the 55 gallon rain barrel, approximately 2 ft by 3.5 ft (the base of the tumbling composter requires a 3 x 4 ft area). The bins are re-purposed BPA-free food grade plastic barrels."

FMI and to order:
https://theconservationfoundation.org/conservation-home/rain-barrels/

#SolarPunkSunday #Illinois #Composters #RainwaterCollection #WaterIsLife #SoilIsLife

Gamal SherifOct 6
#3goodthings:
1) went for a 2-hour hike at Tyler Arboretum in #MediaPA
2) brought home first autumn batch of fresh #apples
3) drained all #waterbarrels on about-to-pop #chrysanthemums and other fall plantings
Show threadraeNov 3, 2019

#SunDIY winterizing #WaterBarrels, part 2. A past housemate set up the downspout overflow to run the entire length of the house, essentially moving it to dump into the city sewer system and stop some basement flooding. It was successful, however, in the last few years, climate change has brought more freezing temps to Seattle, and the outflow makes ice on the front walkway.

I reversed the direction of the down-flow connection and elevated it, and am almost done directing the outflow to dump into the northwest bed with huckleberry bushes. It will be useful there and is now traveling half the distance it was before.

I don't mind detaching a bit of pipe when I mow the lawn. I'm pretty sure that's what stopped this idea about a decade ago. I expect to water significantly less in this area next spring and summer.

raeNov 3, 2019
#SunDIY Time to winterize the #WaterBarrels, part 1. I detached the bit of hose that allows water to flow from the downspout diverter and into the barrel. Those barrels are full-up, and it would be good to actually drop their water levels a bit before we get to any sort of hard freeze, as that will allow room for the water to expand as it turns to ice.