It was misting this morning, so on our way out the door we moved our watering can to the front steps, where we have a lilac, snapdragon, and geranium. We love that this saves water — and a trip back upstairs to our apartment. Do you collect rainwater?
Simple Green: Collect Rainwater
While going green isn’t hard, it’s sometimes easier than we thought. We get a little nervous leaving our watering can so accessible in the mean streets of Brooklyn, but haven’t had anything happen yet. (Knock on wood.) Up next, we’re going to leave an extra bucket out there for the plants in the house.
What do you do?
Photo via legley/SXC
Comments (6)
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i'm making plans to steal one of my parents large old wine barrels [no idea where they got them from but they've had them in the garage for ages...] and turn it into a rain barrel on my balcony. we get tons of rain in florida - so it will be great to water my balcony garden. we also get tons of bugs... so i'm going to cover the top with some kind of gauze or wire to try and stop bugs from laying eggs in there.
view rosiemoth's profile
I made a rain barrel at a county workshop and I haven't had to turn on my hose to water any plants yet (we've been getting tons of rain here in Northern Virginia). The top has a screen to keep out mosquitoes. I can attach a soaker hose to drain it and water plants in the process--something you have to do pretty much weekly or it can get stagnant.
view ValHalla's profile
Don't forget that stagnant water can be breeding ground for mosquitoes.
view Khürt Williams's profile
Careful with a full barrel of water on a balcony. That's a lot of weight for something designed to hold a few people and some patio furniture!
view Robynthegeek's profile
Robynthegeek,
you're right - they tend to be a LOT more heavy than expected. luckily i'm in a high rise and my balcony is the same concrete construction as my apartment. i'm pretty sure i could put ten of them out there and it'd be fine. but if i was in a traditional two/three story apartment with simple decking as my balcony - i probably wouldn't be able to...
view rosiemoth's profile
Be sure to check the local laws first -- in Colorado, it's illegal for tenants to collect rainwater.
view Thierrys's profile