Does anyone know where I can buy a rain barrel?

 

Does anyone know a vendor who sells rain barrels near Holland, MI?

 

Michigan State University Recycling Center just had a rain barrel and compost bin sale. Systern rain barrels sold for $50 and compost bins for $40. They brought over 500 barrels and bins to sell. You can contact them at 517-483-4430 to see if they will have another event soon.

 

Can you eat plants(vegetables) that are watered from your roof?

 

I am thinking about putting in a rain garden but don’t know where the best place to buy plants or what types of plants to use. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

Do you know who supplied the rain barrels?

 

Rain barrels and rain gardens are great, but nothing here addresses the biggest problem I see with neighborhood water management -- lawns. Digging out grass and putting in garden areas increases drainage and reduces pollution from fossil fuel-using, noise pollution-contributing lawnmowers. And don’t get me started on the fertilizer homeowners dump on that grass all the time just to keep it thick! I’m nearing the point where my only grass is the paths between my garden areas. My little ecosystem attracts birds, butterflies and other wildlife. I’ve also learned that more garden means LESS work than maintaining a lawn. Face it, those of us without kids don’t need lawns for football. Lawns weren’t even commonly grown around homes until the 1920s or so, gardens were. We need to think differently about what is attractive around our homes!

 

If you live in S.E. Wisconsin you can purchase rain barrels converted from food barrels from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, City of Racine, and Village of Caledonia. A growing number of retailers also sell rain barrels: Menards, Milaegers, Sam’s Club. Beginning in March 2011, Root-Pike Watershed Initiative will be selling rain barrels from its office at 800 Center Street, Room 118, Racine (www.rootpikewin.org).

 

I am not familiar with the native plant nurseries in Michigan and their locations, but I am guessing they are located outside of urban areas. Our rain garden program has worked with our Wild Ones chapter which does a native plant sale once a year as a fundraiser. We also have worked directly with the nurseries, ordering early, and they deliver the plants in trays. Receiving them by mail has also been successful and the plants arrive amazingly healthy. The nurseries probably have websites. If you are ordering for a large number of gardens--enough to order one or more tray of a single species--you can get very good prices: $1.00 to $1.25 per plant plug plus delivery.

 

Does anyone know of any upcoming rain barrel sales in the next two weeks in the Greater Lansing area?

 

Master Rain Gardener Training Class Train as a Master Rain Gardener - and become a resource for your neighborhood by keeping river water clean! Rain Gardens filter and cool storm water so that our streams and rivers run clean. It is a nonpoint solution for nonpoint source pollution. Anyone can plant one in their own back yard. The Washtenaw County Water Resources office has been building rain gardens for 8 years, and has built more than 140 rain gardens – we can pass along what we have learned to you. Visit the Master Rain Gardener Hall of Fame (photos). Thursday mornings 9:30am-12:30, February 26 – March 26, 2015. Attendees must attend all five classes, and plant a rain garden to receive their Master Rain Gardener certificate. Location: 705 N. Zeeb, MSU Extension Classroom Cost: $90 (Scholarships available) Instructors: Harry Sheehan, Shannan Gibb-Randall, RLA, Susan Bryan, MLA Questions? Bryans@ewashtenaw.org or 734-730-9025 www.ewashtenaw.org/raingardens To register for the class, www.ewashtenaw.org/MRG Or, register in person/phone/mail by calling Linda Brzezinski 734-994-2300 x53203 or mailing your check c/o her to: Rec & Ed, 1515 S. Seventh St, Ann Arbor MI 48103. • You will need to write a short paragraph answering these questions: 1) Tell us a little about your gardening experience. 2) Are you a Master Gardener? (not required) 3) Why do you want to become a Master Rain Gardener? • Residents along Miller Avenue (Newport to Maple), Mitchell neighborhood (between Packard, Platt, Charing Cross and Lorraine Streets), W. Madison Street, Stone School Road, and Easy Street receive a discount. E-mail bryans@ewashtenaw.org for details.

 

Here is an example of my rain garden I installed.

 

Rain Barrels on the River Front scheduled for April 25, 2015 is an annual spring event sponsored by the Sierra Club, Detroit River Front Conservancy and MI Rain Barrel. It's a fun, and free workshop where you can learn how to make and paint a rain barrel and hook them up to downspouts. Artist from the Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition will be on hand to transform two of these recycled rain barrels into works of art!! The cost to make and keep a rain barrel is $50 (discounted for this event). To purchase go to www.mirainbarrel.com/signup

 

Online Master Rain Gardener Certification Class Friday lunchtimes from 12-1pm with 1-1:30pm live Q&A | July 14-August 18, 2017 Location: Live, online! Login from your computer or smart phone Cost: FREE, funded by a MDEQ grant, the City of Ann Arbor, and Washtenaw County, MI Instructors: Susan Bryan, MLA & Harry Sheehan of the Water Resources Commissioner's Office, Shannan Gibb-Randall, RLA of InSite Design Studio Requirements: Participants must attend all five classes and plant or adopt a rain garden to receive their Master Rain Gardener certificate and t-shirt. Register: e-mail bryans@ewashtenaw.org for a link. More information: If you have questions, e-mail. bryans@ewashtenaw.org or go to www.MasterRainGardener.org Instructors: Susan Bryan, Rain Garden Coordinator. Susan has designed over 80 residential rain gardens and mentored over 350 homeowners planting rain gardens. She is a past President of Wild Ones, has a Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Michigan, and is a Master Gardener. Harry Sheehan, Deputy Water Resources Commissioner. Harry is responsible for planning and financing ongoing education efforts, and spearheading innovative projects that keep our rivers running clean. Shannan Gibb-Randall, Principal at InSite Design Studio, Inc. Shannan leads InSite Design's ecologically sensitive landscape design work. Her background is in Art History and Landscape Architecture from University of Michigan. Projects in her portfolio include the City of Ann Arbor Municipal Center, the Great Lakes Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center Courtyard.