Use a rain barrel to keep your greenhouse plants watered well.
Deciding to build a greenhouse is a big undertaking. Determining the proper location, building the actual structure, deciding whether or not to heat it, and then starting the plants and taking care of them are all a large part of getting started. Once you have the structure built and the plants seeded, the plants will need water. Rain barrels placed near the greenhouse are an ideal way to get water to your greenhouse. The water is close by, and you can attach a hose and water that way, use a drip irrigation system or water by hand with a watering can. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Attach a downspout system to your greenhouse or utilize an existing system already on your house or barn.
2. Find or purchase a barrel you can use for a rain barrel. Food-grade plastic 55-gallon drums work well. You can usually find these used online or in the classifieds from companies that purchases large quantities of vegetable oil or syrup.
3. Install a spigot on the bottom of the rain barrel if there isn't one already. This will allow you to attach a garden hose to your rain barrel and direct the water to your greenhouse.
4. Purchase and install a down-spout diverter to direct the rain water directly from your gutters into your rain barrel. These diverters capture the water going down the downspout in a reservoir. Once the reservoir fills up, the water then exits the spout into a hose and into the barrel. Once the barrel is full, the water backfills and exits out the regular downspout.
5. Place a piece of screen or a lid on top of the rain barrel to discourage bugs and keep debris out of the water.
6. Let the rain barrel fill up and then use the water to water your plants in your greenhouse. If, for some reason, you lack rain and don't have any water in your barrels, use your regular garden hose to water your plants until you do.
Tags: rain barrel, your greenhouse, water your, garden hose, hose water, water your greenhouse