HelpfulGardener.com

Hi,

Hope everyone is staying safe out there. We have a 55g rain barrel by our house that is no longer attached to the downspout to the house/roof. It is almost always full because we get enough snow/rain to fill it. I was wondering, though, whether I need to treat the water with anything since I water my veggies with it? Mostly worried about bird poop and bacteria in there.

Thanks!

I have 5 gallon buckets that I use under the gutters, and when full I dump into my barrel(not sure how many gallons it is, all I know is that it's not much shorter than me) and after all the years I've used that rain water on my veggies I've never treated it. But I live in the sticks and never worry about pollution though. However, over time both my barrel and bucket get coated in algae. I doubt that hurts the plants, but I like to keep them as clean as possible. Covering your barrel with a screen or some kind of fabric should help with the bird poop. I keep a wire mesh screening over my barrel, but it's not tight enough to keep the froggys from squeezing up under there...
If the birds are coming up and sitting on your barrel and pooping, hang some of that shiny bird tape or something that will deter the birds from sitting on it.

@TomatoNut95, Thanks!

I should have mentioned the barrel has a top with a mesh guard on it that keeps most things out.

The mesh guard should prevent poop and other dirty things from falling in the water. Keeping the mash guard cleaned off might help to. My buckets and barrels get algae coated pretty quick. If I know I'm about to get a lot of rain I use an old sponge and scrub out the buckets. As for that big ol'e barrel I spray it out with a strong blast of the water hose. It can get tiring, but I can't stand dirty water containers, even if I really doubt the algae will cause the plants any harm. It just makes me feel more sanittary about it.

I've even considered hunting for some tadpoles that might help keep the algea level down in the barrel, but during drought -time I'd end up using all the water and I'd have to find somewhere else to put the tadpoles.

should be totally fine. bird poop is fertilizer, after all.

I’m a bit more of a worrier — I use rainbarrel water as soil drench or to supply soaker hose, and bottom watering container plants as well as topping up Sub-irrigated Planters. I don’t use the water for overhead watering leafy veg’s or to water any harvestables including root crops that will be picked on the same day.

I typically use the rain barrel water for mixing with organic fertilizer as well as watering the compost pile and vermicomposter, and also filling the pond and other water reservoirs containing fish. And mushroom logs if needed.

I am also more worried about chemicals leaching out from roofing materials and especially would be concerned when the roof is new or recently constructed or repaired, and/or if roofing and roof gutter and downspout material are not known.

Thanks everyone!

@applestar...the barrel isn't attached to the roof or a downspout at all...just collects rain and snow throughout the seasons!

That’s ok then. What are you using fir mosquito control? Is the mesh cover sufficient? I normally use combination of feeder goldfish and minnows (not sure when I will venture to the petstore ...not yet) and mosquito dunks and microbelift.

I did overwinter some of the fish in the garage, so they will be deployed as well as some of the guppies that’s have been breeding out of control — but the guppies can’t go out until night temps stay above 65°F.

@applestar Nothing yet for mosquitoes...haven't seen a problem around the rain barrel but probably a good idea! Are mosquito dunks safe for the water to be used on veggies?

Mosquito dunks work great! And I don't think they're poisonous to anything else, at least I think they said they're safe for birds in case the birds drink it. One dunk or probably half a dunk should be enough for your barrel.

@rosegirl, have a look at my latest post on my garden thread and you'll see what happens when you don't keep your rain barrel covered tight enough....

Burn some wood so you have 2 gallons of ash to put in the 55g rain barrel it will kill mosquitoes and give water fertilizer and minerals plants need.