I just got through reading a review copy of Get Fresh with Sara Snow (coming out for Earth Day and we'll be sure to review it then). In it she talks about collecting rain water for yard and gardening needs. I've been wanting a whole underground water cistern for several years, but it's a huge expense and feels really hard to do. In Sara's book she suggested starting with a simple rain barrel. Now why didn't I think of that already???

I shopped online and found this one that I'm putting on my birthday list -- Deluxe Rain Barrel with Screen Lid

According to Sara the key things to look for are a spigot on the bottom for easy drainage and a mesh top that keeps mosquitoes from using your gathered rain water for their breeding ground. As a plus, this model also has a top spigot for overflow purposes. And it's made from a used container of food-grade plastic. On the downside, it's not very attractive.

Do you have this rain barrel or another one you like? Please let me know before I go out and buy one (or the birthday fairy gets one for me).

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