Rainbarrels at Blue Fox Farms Drought Smart Plants
by Jacki
(Grand Forks, B.C.)
Rain Barrel on the Mercantile
My nursery is where I grow many succulent plants, including over 30 different kinds of Echeveria. The rain water I collect in my barrels is naturally softened with no chemicals, and I use it to water all my tender succulent plants in the greenhouse, and even collect some buckets to put in the root cellar for the winter.
As the well water that I have is full of calcium, it marks the leaves of the Echeveria especially, which looks unsightly, even though it doesn't actually do any damage. I just think it looks better.
One of my barrels has a small bucket of compost in it so it can leach into the water, supplying me with as much compost tea as I need.
My favorite rain barrel out of the three that I have currently has an old fashioned water pump on it, which fits perfectly with the look of my old western town theme.
