Hi,
Every now and then I have to put off woodworking to work at one of my other hobbies. A bit of time in the spring a bit of time over the summer and then a bit of time in the fall.
First let me share my morning garden treats, special K and fresh strawberries...
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As you can see that alone is worth having a garden for!
That was a digression from what I wanted to post but I have a grand daughter who depends on us freezing strawberries so when she visits she gets some (she lives in DE so we don't see her anywhere near enough).
This next picture is of my tomato box. It contains 8 plants and we can not keep up with all the tomatoes when they are in full production. This year we got a lot of "odd" varieties to see what we missed from days of old.
I wanted to point out a couple of things while we are on the subject. I made some wooden uprights which I use to screw to the raised bed. These can be though of as sort of bed ends. We can then add wood pieces between them and provide support as the plants grow. The taller the plants get the more horizontal supports we add. We use plastic bags that the newspapers comes in to tie them up for support. Last year I had some left over PVC pipe so I attached a section of that to the outside of the box. Then the wooden uprights can be slipped in and out to allow digging the box up and for planting. It worked out so well that I did the same thing on the other end of the box.
The left over PVC was used to re do an experiment I had done some years back. The idea is that you can take and dig a hole next to the plant and then add chopped up corn cob to that hole, stick the PVC pipe in and then cover over the hole with garden soil. Now when you water you put the water in the open PVC pipe and it goes in to the corn cob where it is "stored" for use by the plant. The garden is mulched to retain as much water as possible and you don't do any top watering. (The rain does that of course but that is another story). This also means you can water during the day if you want, and you stay out of the garden in the evening when the various bugs attack you.
I had done this a couple of years then resorted back to normal gardening because I lost the pipes... they have to be in the shed somewhere????
Now a couple of pictures.
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BTW the pipes on the side have a larger hole on one side (5/8") and directly across is the hole the size of the screw. The screwdriver then lets you mount the pipes without to much fuss and once mounted they stay there forever.
Ed
Garden thoughts to share
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Garden thoughts to share
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{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
The next subject is rain barrels. I've had one for years and I know that not all of you are free to collect water this way due to issues of who owns the water... but for those of you without restrictions here is some information.
How about we start with a picture of my current setup.
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This is a 55 gallon drum I've had since the mid 1980's. At one time is was water tight but the years and rust have not been kind. One of the first things I needed to do was to cut the top out... I resorted to the old tried and true things I had learned growing up and used a cold chisel and hammer... It was free and had not been used to store any tainted substances so I felt safe in using on the garden. After a few years it started to leak so I attempted to patch it which extended it service for a few more years until thing got to the point no amount of work could save it.... but by adding some lawn scape fabric and black plastic garbage bags I have been keeping it going for the last 10 years or so. Some day the bottom is just going to fall out and then that will be that.
The top is some scrap wood that I fashioned to fit over the barrel. The sides keep the plastic bags in place and the top works as a float to let the extra water over flow. The top has a hole for the water to enter and then the pump is used to remove the water.
I cut the drain pipe and added a section of offset so it extends out over the barrel. I used a end section of a gutter and added a second "end" so that it is a trough sort of thing. I have screen in the trough to trap junk off the roof. The down spout fits in a hole in the wood top. In the cold weather I take the drum away and attach a section of down spout so the water runs down and off.
The pump is very much like the one we had at home until I was about 6 when we got running water.... The water is taken out using what is called a cistern pump. This is my second one, I got it from Lee Valley and it has been a good performer. The first pump I got was from Harbor Freight.... I would say far far away from there pump if it was anything like the one I got from them.... I almost celebrated the day the ear broke off... and I got to get a new one.
The addition of the plastic bags created a few changes to how the water is pumped out. In the original version I just added a section of PVC pipe so it was just off the bottom of the barrel and way it went. The plastic bags was another story.... the pump would attempt to suck them up.... so I had to do a little improvising. First I added a 90 degree elbow and then a lid from a five gallon bucket so the water would be taken from the center of the barrel in the center of the lid. Oh yea I did add a screen to the pipe in each case to make sure you don't pump up much junk.
I use several bags, either two or three and change the inner one each year so get rid of gravel from the roof and other junk that might have gotten in during the year.
These pumps really can output the water. If you were to attempt to fill equal size buckets with a 5/8" garden hose at city water pressure vs the pump the pump will win hands down... as in no contest.
While we use the water for flowers and the gardens and an occasional clean up job one does not drink this water. This has not always been the case, even back around 1900 cisterns were built at the same time the house was built and provided water for many purposes... some times even as a drinking water source. I'm guessing that might even exist at some place in the US even now but the rain is not the rain of our history....
Well as long as you are still reading I'm still writing and we get on to the next portion of the post.
55 gallons of water is not enough to last between rains and the well runs dry many times during the season. If I had the money and time I'd like to add a few more barrels and never have to use city water for any watering of the gardens and flowers.
So when I was up north earlier this year and spotted a potential barrel sitting at my brothers I got excited. It was one he had gotten at a job site when the new owners wanted things cleaned up... he didn't have a use for it but thought it was to good to take to the dump. So into the van it went and I'm in the process of adding 35 gallons more water to my collection.
Here is a picture of the drum after I added a drain... I had pictures of the process but they were lost in a recent hard disk incident. I used a hole saw to cut a hole just above the bottom and then after a trip to Menards for some parts I was able to fashion a water tight connection.
[ATTACH]9102[/ATTACH]
I want this one to be up in the air and let gravity work for me. I was looking for a steam train watering tower idea but then decided I would do that next time.... this time keep it simple and get it done.
Well you know the ways things can go and that is just how they went. I managed to trip myself and take a great fall but unlike humpty dumpty I only messed up my knee. Now it is RICE time. Should be letting it rest more but I really have trouble sitting around doing nothing....
The stack of parts is waiting for me to start assembly and I have only a couple of parts left to be cut....
[ATTACH]9103[/ATTACH]
Hope to be able to get some more done on it this coming week and post some details.......... it was fun cutting the lap joints on the bandsaw.... wet treated wood fresh from the store, good thing I own a special wet wood blade for the bandsaw....
Ed
How about we start with a picture of my current setup.
[ATTACH]9101[/ATTACH]
This is a 55 gallon drum I've had since the mid 1980's. At one time is was water tight but the years and rust have not been kind. One of the first things I needed to do was to cut the top out... I resorted to the old tried and true things I had learned growing up and used a cold chisel and hammer... It was free and had not been used to store any tainted substances so I felt safe in using on the garden. After a few years it started to leak so I attempted to patch it which extended it service for a few more years until thing got to the point no amount of work could save it.... but by adding some lawn scape fabric and black plastic garbage bags I have been keeping it going for the last 10 years or so. Some day the bottom is just going to fall out and then that will be that.
The top is some scrap wood that I fashioned to fit over the barrel. The sides keep the plastic bags in place and the top works as a float to let the extra water over flow. The top has a hole for the water to enter and then the pump is used to remove the water.
I cut the drain pipe and added a section of offset so it extends out over the barrel. I used a end section of a gutter and added a second "end" so that it is a trough sort of thing. I have screen in the trough to trap junk off the roof. The down spout fits in a hole in the wood top. In the cold weather I take the drum away and attach a section of down spout so the water runs down and off.
The pump is very much like the one we had at home until I was about 6 when we got running water.... The water is taken out using what is called a cistern pump. This is my second one, I got it from Lee Valley and it has been a good performer. The first pump I got was from Harbor Freight.... I would say far far away from there pump if it was anything like the one I got from them.... I almost celebrated the day the ear broke off... and I got to get a new one.
The addition of the plastic bags created a few changes to how the water is pumped out. In the original version I just added a section of PVC pipe so it was just off the bottom of the barrel and way it went. The plastic bags was another story.... the pump would attempt to suck them up.... so I had to do a little improvising. First I added a 90 degree elbow and then a lid from a five gallon bucket so the water would be taken from the center of the barrel in the center of the lid. Oh yea I did add a screen to the pipe in each case to make sure you don't pump up much junk.
I use several bags, either two or three and change the inner one each year so get rid of gravel from the roof and other junk that might have gotten in during the year.
These pumps really can output the water. If you were to attempt to fill equal size buckets with a 5/8" garden hose at city water pressure vs the pump the pump will win hands down... as in no contest.
While we use the water for flowers and the gardens and an occasional clean up job one does not drink this water. This has not always been the case, even back around 1900 cisterns were built at the same time the house was built and provided water for many purposes... some times even as a drinking water source. I'm guessing that might even exist at some place in the US even now but the rain is not the rain of our history....
Well as long as you are still reading I'm still writing and we get on to the next portion of the post.
55 gallons of water is not enough to last between rains and the well runs dry many times during the season. If I had the money and time I'd like to add a few more barrels and never have to use city water for any watering of the gardens and flowers.
So when I was up north earlier this year and spotted a potential barrel sitting at my brothers I got excited. It was one he had gotten at a job site when the new owners wanted things cleaned up... he didn't have a use for it but thought it was to good to take to the dump. So into the van it went and I'm in the process of adding 35 gallons more water to my collection.
Here is a picture of the drum after I added a drain... I had pictures of the process but they were lost in a recent hard disk incident. I used a hole saw to cut a hole just above the bottom and then after a trip to Menards for some parts I was able to fashion a water tight connection.
[ATTACH]9102[/ATTACH]
I want this one to be up in the air and let gravity work for me. I was looking for a steam train watering tower idea but then decided I would do that next time.... this time keep it simple and get it done.
Well you know the ways things can go and that is just how they went. I managed to trip myself and take a great fall but unlike humpty dumpty I only messed up my knee. Now it is RICE time. Should be letting it rest more but I really have trouble sitting around doing nothing....
The stack of parts is waiting for me to start assembly and I have only a couple of parts left to be cut....
[ATTACH]9103[/ATTACH]
Hope to be able to get some more done on it this coming week and post some details.......... it was fun cutting the lap joints on the bandsaw.... wet treated wood fresh from the store, good thing I own a special wet wood blade for the bandsaw....
Ed
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{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
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judaspre1982
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Last edited by judaspre1982 on Sat May 13, 2017 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gardens and Rain Barrels
Ed:
Nice strawberries! Ours are just starting to ripen so I guess I will have to put a net over them tomorrow before the birds get at em.
The rain barrels though are currently a hot topic with me but for all the wrong reasons. Anyone who has read some of my previous posts know there is a story of mis-steps to come.
We have been doing some renovations around the house and new eaves troughs were one of the projects. The installer recently started selling fancy rain barrels and had a couple of nice wood ones, but at a very hefty price. When we saw an identical one in a local store at $150 less, my dear wife insisted that was what was needed, and hey, I could fit it in while the job was being done. First big mistake.
The barrel is actually assembled (by purchaser) from a bunch of individual stakes that fit in a temporary circular jig, with a plastic liner that collects the water. Two of the stakes have holes in them, one for the entry tube and one for the spigot. The stakes are held together with three metal bands that are tightened when all the stakes are nicely fit in the jig. The entry hole stake has to be placed correctly to receive water from the downspout through a tube and special two way connection inserted at the right hight in the downspout. The instructions indicate it is a 30 minute job. I won't go into the saga of mistakes and difficulties during assembly!
However when it was ready for installation, I found I had neglected to take into consideration a box on my foundation wall for a generator connection that resulted in my entry hole being in the wrong place. Off to the store to buy a longer connecting tube. Then the connector in the downspout was placed too high so it does not function as an overflow tube as designed, so with the first good rainstorm the barrel overflowed. Had to put the connector in winter mode to funnel water down the downspout until I solve that little problem.
Then I notice the barrel leaks at the spigot so I will have to dis-assemble it to fix the seal between the liner and wood stake.
So much for saving money by the DIY method.
But IT LOOKS GOOD!
Have fun.
John
Nice strawberries! Ours are just starting to ripen so I guess I will have to put a net over them tomorrow before the birds get at em.
The rain barrels though are currently a hot topic with me but for all the wrong reasons. Anyone who has read some of my previous posts know there is a story of mis-steps to come.
We have been doing some renovations around the house and new eaves troughs were one of the projects. The installer recently started selling fancy rain barrels and had a couple of nice wood ones, but at a very hefty price. When we saw an identical one in a local store at $150 less, my dear wife insisted that was what was needed, and hey, I could fit it in while the job was being done. First big mistake.
The barrel is actually assembled (by purchaser) from a bunch of individual stakes that fit in a temporary circular jig, with a plastic liner that collects the water. Two of the stakes have holes in them, one for the entry tube and one for the spigot. The stakes are held together with three metal bands that are tightened when all the stakes are nicely fit in the jig. The entry hole stake has to be placed correctly to receive water from the downspout through a tube and special two way connection inserted at the right hight in the downspout. The instructions indicate it is a 30 minute job.
I won't go into the saga of mistakes and difficulties during assembly!However when it was ready for installation, I found I had neglected to take into consideration a box on my foundation wall for a generator connection that resulted in my entry hole being in the wrong place. Off to the store to buy a longer connecting tube. Then the connector in the downspout was placed too high so it does not function as an overflow tube as designed, so with the first good rainstorm the barrel overflowed. Had to put the connector in winter mode to funnel water down the downspout until I solve that little problem.
Then I notice the barrel leaks at the spigot so I will have to dis-assemble it to fix the seal between the liner and wood stake. So much for saving money by the DIY method.
But IT LOOKS GOOD!
Have fun.
John
judaspre1982 wrote:Hi Ed
The plastic barrels are a great improvement over the steel when they are available. I had been getting mine for free for years from a friend. I made several for our yard and sold many more to neighbors. There were several changes made to my design. This is what I have found works best for me.
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I took advantage of the plug that had a 3/4 female thread so I could come off that with the hose bib. I turned the barrel upside down so the top becomes the bottom. This makes a more secure connection for the hose bib and allows more of the water to be drained from the barrel.
I also used a one gal bucket with a screen mounted in the bottom to strain the roof water of debris. The screen also helps keep mosquitoes from getting to the water surface to lay eggs. There is a 1 1/4 pvc overflow pipe cut into the barrel at the top to direct the overflow away from the foundation.
I am behind in getting our rain barrels in place this year. I remove them during the winter months.-----Dave
Hi,
Yes free plastic barrels is the way to go! I'd set up a few more if I could find some more for free or nearly free.
Thanks for sharing the design you have come up with, gives me a few new ideas to ponder.
Don't know how your weather has been going this last while but we have had a lot of rain... inches of the stuff. And if the forecast is right this whole next week seem to have at least some chance of rain everyday. Of course you do need to get the barrels setup before the next dry period starts.
Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
john wrote:Ed:
Nice strawberries! Ours are just starting to ripen so I guess I will have to put a net over them tomorrow before the birds get at em.
The rain barrels though are currently a hot topic with me but for all the wrong reasons. Anyone who has read some of my previous posts know there is a story of mis-steps to come.
We have been doing some renovations around the house and new eaves troughs were one of the projects. The installer recently started selling fancy rain barrels and had a couple of nice wood ones, but at a very hefty price. When we saw an identical one in a local store at $150 less, my dear wife insisted that was what was needed, and hey, I could fit it in while the job was being done. First big mistake.
The barrel is actually assembled (by purchaser) from a bunch of individual stakes that fit in a temporary circular jig, with a plastic liner that collects the water. Two of the stakes have holes in them, one for the entry tube and one for the spigot. The stakes are held together with three metal bands that are tightened when all the stakes are nicely fit in the jig. The entry hole stake has to be placed correctly to receive water from the downspout through a tube and special two way connection inserted at the right hight in the downspout. The instructions indicate it is a 30 minute job.
However when it was ready for installation, I found I had neglected to take into consideration a box on my foundation wall for a generator connection that resulted in my entry hole being in the wrong place. Off to the store to buy a longer connecting tube. Then the connector in the downspout was placed too high so it does not function as an overflow tube as designed, so with the first good rainstorm the barrel overflowed. Had to put the connector in winter mode to funnel water down the downspout until I solve that little problem.
So much for saving money by the DIY method.
But IT LOOKS GOOD!
Have fun.
John
Hi,
Our strawberries are June bearing but this year they are ahead of most years, we have had them for about 2 weeks already. I think maybe another week of picking and that will be it. Most years they start just to ripen in early June and go the whole month.
Sounds like you might have a few more names for the barrel the rain barrel....
Hope you have or soon will have all the kinks worked out and can enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
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osx-addict
- Gold Member
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:56 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
We can get, for about $15/ea, blue plastic barrels that were used to carry food products of one sort or another (the ones I've got held pomegranate juice) and are water tight when the top-lid is sealed.. I've currently got one setup for composting (holes drilled in the sides,etc) and the other one has some scrappy wood used for the BBQ. I'd like some rainbarrels for water collection but to be completely honest they don't hold enough water IMHO. I'd love to get a tank that could be buried in the yard or perhaps an above ground tank that could hold 2-5K gallons of water.. We could easily fill that even here in the Los Angeles area. Perhaps I can find a way to add this into our upcoming remodel the backyard project.. Currently I'm working on a chicken coop/run for our city chickens.. 
-- we're hoping to have 4 egg layers within 5 months.
-- we're hoping to have 4 egg layers within 5 months.Rick
S/W of Los Angeles, CA
1983 Mark V model 510 (SN#140061)
S/W of Los Angeles, CA
1983 Mark V model 510 (SN#140061)
So I have some progress to show on my water tower. I have to put the feet on yet (they are pictured on a couple of the legs) and attach the part the drum sits on to the frame.
After it is together I have to make final plans on where it is going to sit and how I will divert the water to fill it.
Anyway this is about what it is going to look like:
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Ed
After it is together I have to make final plans on where it is going to sit and how I will divert the water to fill it.
Anyway this is about what it is going to look like:
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Ed
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{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
Well I got part of my rain barrel problems solved. The leak at the spout has been fixed.
First I cut a base from 3/4" plywood and put it inside at the bottom , then loosened the holding rings. I then managed to pull the slat with the spout and attached liner out to fix it. The washer supplied did not quite cover the hole in the liner when tightened, so I fashioned an extra one out of bicyle tire patch and tightened everything up real good. The came the fun of trying to insert the slat back in it's place. After several attempts with slats falling every which way, I called in reinforcements in the form of my dear wife. With four hands and some making tape , we finally managed to get things put together and retightened the holding straps. (the attached picture will give an idea of what I am taliking about). I then screwd the plywood bottom to several slats so the barrel could be moved more easily and to provide some support and protection to the liner. After a coat of spar varnish, it looks even better than before. The slats are made of torrified wood so they are naturally dark and the finish deepened the tone more.
The overflow problem has not be fixed and probably won't be so I will have to manually change the diverter (white thing in the picture) in the downspout when the barrel is full.
Now if I can get through some of the home renovations, I can get on to rebuilding our garden bench.
Have fun:)
John
First I cut a base from 3/4" plywood and put it inside at the bottom , then loosened the holding rings. I then managed to pull the slat with the spout and attached liner out to fix it. The washer supplied did not quite cover the hole in the liner when tightened, so I fashioned an extra one out of bicyle tire patch and tightened everything up real good. The came the fun of trying to insert the slat back in it's place. After several attempts with slats falling every which way, I called in reinforcements in the form of my dear wife. With four hands and some making tape , we finally managed to get things put together and retightened the holding straps. (the attached picture will give an idea of what I am taliking about). I then screwd the plywood bottom to several slats so the barrel could be moved more easily and to provide some support and protection to the liner. After a coat of spar varnish, it looks even better than before. The slats are made of torrified wood so they are naturally dark and the finish deepened the tone more.
The overflow problem has not be fixed and probably won't be so I will have to manually change the diverter (white thing in the picture) in the downspout when the barrel is full.
Now if I can get through some of the home renovations, I can get on to rebuilding our garden bench.
Have fun:)
John
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I'm sorry guys - I know I shouldn't, but I'm chuckling at the small rain barrels you are using. You see, I'm on a farm and for our needs, any tank smaller than 1000 litres is not really worth the effort. Our smallest barrel is 5000 litres.
We currently have 2 5k barrels for collecting roof run-off, with another 2 in planning. We are also planning a 10k barrel for grey water handling. We have 3 5k barrels for our borehole water handling.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking your efforts - all work that anyone does to work with nature is highly admirable. It's just that our needs differ from yours. I've seen a design for initially bypassing the collection tank after a dry spell to avoid collection roof sludge. I will be attempting to make and install such a bypass when we eventually install our next rain barrels. If anyone is interested, I'll try to find an on-line reference for the auto bypass and post it here.
We currently have 2 5k barrels for collecting roof run-off, with another 2 in planning. We are also planning a 10k barrel for grey water handling. We have 3 5k barrels for our borehole water handling.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking your efforts - all work that anyone does to work with nature is highly admirable. It's just that our needs differ from yours. I've seen a design for initially bypassing the collection tank after a dry spell to avoid collection roof sludge. I will be attempting to make and install such a bypass when we eventually install our next rain barrels. If anyone is interested, I'll try to find an on-line reference for the auto bypass and post it here.