Suggestions for Planting a Wine Barrel Container

By Jamie Witt, eHow Contributing Writer
http://www.ehow.com/way_5779598_suggestions-planting-wine-barrel-container.html

Recycled wine barrels can give an outdoor space a rustic, vintage look. And using them as planters can enhance their look. Because of their height, wine barrels are ideal for vine plantings, because they can cascade down the side of the barrel. But any annual should grow well in this type of container. Note that wine barrels will break down more quickly if they are used as outdoor planters, especially with exposure to cold temperatures. If you have a highly prized and expensive wine barrel, you might not want to use it as a planter.

Choose Plantings

1. Choose your plantings. It's a good idea to vary plant height and color. Plan to fill a wine barrel planter each spring.
Clean and Fill
2. Clean the wine barrel container gently by rinsing it with the garden hose. Drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage, and lay gauze or rocks on the bottom. Line the inside of a planter that will be outside in cold weather before filling it with potting soil. This will help prevent damage, such as warping, as the soil expands and contracts.
Fill the barrel almost to the top with potting soil, leaving 10 inches to a foot of space between the soil and the top of the planter. This will take about five to seven large bags of potting soil.
Plant and Maintain
3. Dig holes in the potting soil, place a plant in each hole, and fill in to secure the roots. Water as needed.

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Using Rain Barrels for Water Collection

Using Rain Barrels for Water Collection: "Why Harvest Rainwater with Rain Barrels?
Rain is a naturally soft water and devoid of minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. It is usually collected from the roofs of houses and picks up very little contamination when it falls. You can harvest a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from your gutters with one or more rain barrels. Instead of letting the water flow down your driveway and into a storm drain, you can collect it.

Because harvested rainwater does pick up some contamination, you need a good filtering system before it can be used as potable (drinking) water. Many cities require the filtration system to be certified and the water to be tested on a regular basis. However, you do not need a filtration system for landscape uses. You can use it directly from your rain barrel on your garden.

The most obvious reason for harvesting rainwater is to save money. Even if you live in a rural area and have your own well, the well water may be hard enough to justify harvesting rainwater. Have you ever washed clothes with really hard water? There are other reasons as well. "

See our barrels at http://usedwinebarrels.com/rain_barrel.html