We have been on the lookout for a large white square 1,000 gallon container to hold rainwater. We have been using a mish mash of garbage cans, buckets and a kiddie pool to collect water for the garden. If we fill all those things up, we can water for about ten days when we have no rain. We did buy a 200 gallon container and it has helped during a rain as well go out and move water to fill it.
Chris’s brother mentioned that he had a guy that could get us one of the 1,000 gallon containers. In the end, he ended up bringing over two containers yesterday that his buddies were no longer using. One we will put between two downspouts and collect directly into it. The other will replace the kiddie pool.
Although both had been used for water, they are both kind of gross inside. One has black almost sludge in it and rinsing with a garden hose wasn’t doing much. Ironically, getting these “free” containers will end up costing us more in the end than if we had bought two cleaned ones on marketplace. We will have to spend $300 on a pressure washer to clean these enough to use for the garden.
The other things that came along with us agreeing to take these containers was some plastic lattice, some tomato cages and 4X6 posts from a fence they were tearing down.
These will be handy for our above ground garden beds and can replace the trees I was using for a couple of the boxes. Chris may also use two to replace the posts that he attached the garden gate to as they haven’t done well in the strong wind and continually need adjusting.
This spring, Chris was exploring in an area of our property that has a lot of deadfall and long grass. He came across a child’s plastic mailbox discarded and tossed in the bush by the previous owners. It is missing one flap on the box and the caterpillar at the base had a crack but I wanted to keep it and see what it could be used for. This week I decided to clean it up a bit and see if perhaps the squirrels would take their peanuts from there. I had managed to get them both trained to go to a small table we have outside but I have been thinking ahead to winter and I need somewhere for them to go with a bit of shelter. Earl checked it out today and managed to easily climb up to get the peanuts.
Later in the afternoon, Merle came for a visit and she too was able to get up and into the mailbox. I will let them get peanuts from it a few more times before I take some outdoor paint to it and spruce it up a bit. In the fall I can move the whole thing closer to our garage door where there is a bit more shelter from the snow and wind.
I should mention that my mission to retrain Merle is going well. If she came to me in the morning and climbed up, I would walk over to the table and show her the peanuts I had left there. Once those few peanuts were done, she still tried to climb up but I would just hold out my hands and say “all done”. As the days went on, she would climb up less and less realizing she would only get peanuts at the table and only in the morning. I gave her peanuts at the mailbox this afternoon partly to get her used to it and partly because I had not seen her since Thursday morning.
Other items that we have been told by Chris’s brother that he can get us is a large tractor tire and some smaller tires without rims that I plan to use in the garden. We may add a liner to the large tire and make a small pond. The smaller tires will be used as planters for flowers or potatoes.
I have found that it is beneficial to casually mention items that we are looking for in conversation. Someone might know someone who is getting rid of something or might sell something cheap. They might see what you are looking for at a garage or estate sale or even on marketplace. Many sets of eyes on the lookout for something is better than one.
I am curious are squirrels colour blind?
Will the change of colour make them scratch their heads.