Gardening
Use Rain Barrels to Capture Rainwater
Elevate your rain barrel for easier access to the spigot for filling containers and to speed water flow with the help of gravity.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers.
Always start with a call to your local municipality. Some have restrictions on water harvesting, but most encourage this practice and some even offer rebates or rain barrels at a discounted rate.
Purchase a rain barrel or make your own from a large, recycled food grade container. In either case, there are some features to consider when purchasing, creating, and adding a rain barrel to your landscape.
Make sure the top is covered to keep out bugs and debris. Some come equipped with a solid lid with an opening just big enough to accommodate the downspout. Others use a screen to keep out debris, while letting in the rain.
Don't worry about mosquitoes breeding inside your rain barrel. Just use an organic mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits (SummitResponsibleSolutions.com) in rain barrels and other water features. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population, while Mosquito Dunks provide 30 days of control. They are both safe for people, pets, fish, wildlife and beneficial insects.
Look for one with the spigot near the base of the barrel so water does not stagnate in the bottom. Use the spigot to fill watering cans or attach a hose for watering.
Include an overflow outlet near the top of the barrel to direct excess water away from the house or for connecting adjacent barrels. A downspout diverter is another way to manage rain barrel overflows. When the rain barrels are full, this device diverts the water back to the downspout where it is carried away from your home's foundation.
Elevate your rain barrel on cement blocks, decorative stands, or similar supports. This provides easier access to the spigot for filling containers and speeds water flow with the help of gravity. A water pump will boost water pressure for a nice steady flow of water.
Dress up your container with a bit of paint suited for outdoor use on plastic surfaces. And don't worry if you are not an artist, you can hide your rain barrels with some decorative screens or plantings or upright shrubs, perennials or ornamental grasses. Just make sure you have easy access to the spout for retrieving water.
Start your conversion to rain barrels one downspout at a time. You can capture as much as 623 gallons of water from 1,000 square feet of roof in a one-inch rainfall. This can be a lot to manage when first adjusting to this change of habit. Disconnecting one downspout at a time allows you to successfully match the use of rain barrels and other rain harvesting techniques to your gardening style and schedule.
The choices are many, making it easy for you to conserve water and grow a beautiful landscape.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Summer Antique Destinations
Last week marked the opening of Brimfield and from what I've heard it was a great success. The warm weather brought crowds of happy dealers and shoppers. If you missed this first show, there will be two more opportunities from July 12th through the 17th and September 6th through the 11th. In addition to this special tradition, there are many other shows taking place close to home, or a short day or weekend trip away.
The day before Brimfield's July and September dates, you can attend the Sturbridge Antique Show. The show's website touts 100 dealers with vintage clothing, Americana, jewelry and antiques. It will be held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel on July 11th and September 5th. Early admission (beginning at 8 AM) costs $40 while general admission (beginning at 10 AM) costs $15.
If you're looking to attend a show happening sooner, the Grafton Annual Antiques and Arts Show will be held on June 18th from 9 AM to 3 PM on the Grafton Common. The Grafton Historical Society's website notes that "Antique & Art vendors will line beautiful Grafton Common offering high quality Antiques and craft items for sale."
Want to couple your antiquing with a weekend getaway? The Dover Show & Vintage Market is about an hour and a half away in Dover, NH and will be held on June 11th, July 23rd, August 20th, and September 17th. There is free admission from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM or you can pay $6 for early admission.
Also in New Hampshire, tailgate antique shows will be running at Flying Pig Antiques on the following Thursdays: June 23rd, July 21st, August 25th, September 15th, October 20th and November 17th. The fields open at 9 AM and there is free admission.
The 65th Annual New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association Show takes place August 11th through August 13th in Manchester. The Maine Antique Digest describes it as "the best show of its kind in New England." The NHADA website states, "the 65 professional antiques dealers who exhibit at the show save merchandise throughout the year in order to ensure that the show maintains its longstanding reputation for 'fresh-to-the-market' antiques." Thursday admission is $15 while Friday and Saturday admission is $10. As a great way to promote interest in antiques among the younger generation, admission is free to those 30 and under.
Also happening later in the summer, the 50th Annual Antiques Fair and Summer Festival will be held August 27th in Madison, CT. The Madison Historical Society describes the show as such: "with many outstanding antique exhibitors from the Northeast, New York State, the mid-Atlantic states and Florida, this unique fair typically offers eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American and European furniture, along with a wide range of other antiques." It runs from 9 AM to 4 PM with an admission fee of $6 for adults and $2 for children.
Some of these shows have been running for so long that they can almost be considered antiques themselves, too. Please confirm that any shows you are interested in attending haven't been canceled or changed before traveling.
We are cataloging more items for another model train and die-cast car auction from the same West Boylston estate as our previous auctions. We are also planning an online auction of tools, equipment and trailer/storage containers in Oakham, MA. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for a link to the auction and for other upcoming events.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique Auctions, Estate Sales and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com