Tuesday, January 18, 2005

When It Rains...It Pours Into a Rain Barrel!

My latest gardening item hunt is two-pronged:
  • I want to find and/or set up a cheap, attractive rain barrel system.
  • I want to find a cheap under-leaf sprayer (cheaper than this, at least)

    For the rain barrels, I may have located two...that's TWO...old wine barrels from the Texas-based Llano Estacado Winery for a mere $50. I'm trying to find out whether the barrels are even water-tight. An important prerequisite for a rain barrel, yes?

    The barrels themselves are located just an hour to my north, so pickup wouldn't be a big deal. However, $50 for two big, authentic wine barrels is an awesome deal.

    The under leaf sprayer is available from many online farm places, and is better known in livestock circles as...(drumroll please)...a teat sprayer. Yup, it's original use was for cleaning and disinfecting animal udders. Since then, gardeners have discovered its benefits for applying liquids underneath leaf surfaces, where many pests like to loiter.

    Before I order online, I'm going to contact one of my local faves, Wells Brother's Farm Store, to see if they carry 'em in-house.

  • 2 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Hi,

    I am looking for a source in Dallas, TX or nearby areas for old wine barrels to make a rain barrels. I was wondering if you were successful in getting the barrels?

    thanks
    Jack

    Anonymous said...

    Hi,

    I am looking for a source in Dallas, TX or nearby areas for old wine barrels to make a rain barrels. I was wondering if you were successful in getting the barrels?

    thanks
    Jack