Allotments 4 All

Allotment Stuff => Allotment Movement => Topic started by: Mr Pepper on November 03, 2011, 22:16:34

Title: Blue Barrels
Post by: Mr Pepper on November 03, 2011, 22:16:34: Hi, I'm looking for those big blue barrels. Does anyone know anywhere near Doncaster I could get them from?

Thanks
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: taurus on November 03, 2011, 23:26:22: Mine came from the local bus company. Only to glad to get rid of them as there none returnable and it saves the cost of having to take them to the tip. They contained the cleaning stuff for washing the buses with.
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: manicscousers on November 04, 2011, 08:56:54: We got ours from pataks anywhere that gets bulk stuff, ours smelled like mango chutney ;D
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Ellen K on November 04, 2011, 09:12:22: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140630529702?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: digmore on November 12, 2011, 16:27:34: hi there,

blue barrels are free if you know where to look and ask. just try asking around car washes etc they use them to contain cleaning fluids.

just cut the tops off with saw and wash out. we drilled a hole in the side and fitted a brass tap from diy shop.

lift up two breeze blocks high and fill watering can.... blue peter badge wearer..lol

Digmore
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: louise stella on November 12, 2011, 17:18:38: Quote from: manicscousers on November 04, 2011, 08:56:54
We got ours from pataks anywhere that gets bulk stuff, ours smelled like mango chutney ;D

Yum!
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Squash64 on November 12, 2011, 17:46:42: Please remember to cover them with something, we don't want any more cats or birds falling in and drowning.
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: tim41 on November 12, 2011, 17:51:50: we got some from a farmer. You may be lucky and get a relay big square barrel thing we did.
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on November 12, 2011, 19:46:14: Quote from: Squash64 on November 12, 2011, 17:46:42
Please remember to cover them with something, we don't want any more cats or birds falling in and drowning.

Not only that, if you keep the light out it keeps the water sweet. One year I learnt this the hard way. I'd had the plot for a couple of years, and I noticed a green algal bloom in the water butt by the shed. I didn't think twice to it beyond wishing I still had a microscope so I could see what it was. A few weeks later a plague of gnats developed as thousands of larvae fed in the algae!
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Squash64 on November 12, 2011, 19:59:28: Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on November 12, 2011, 19:46:14
Quote from: Squash64 on November 12, 2011, 17:46:42
Please remember to cover them with something, we don't want any more cats or birds falling in and drowning.

Not only that, if you keep the light out it keeps the water sweet. One year I learnt this the hard way. I'd had the plot for a couple of years, and I noticed a green algal bloom in the water butt by the shed. I didn't think twice to it beyond wishing I still had a microscope so I could see what it was. A few weeks later a plague of gnats developed as thousands of larvae fed in the algae!

Thanks for that Robert. A few of our plot holders might not care if cats or birds drown but I'm sure they won't want a plague of gnats! I will let them know.
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Mr Pepper on November 20, 2011, 21:14:02: I am now the proud owner of 6 large blue barrels. 3 will be connected together. I have seen this done with pipes at the base of each one rather than the top. Has anyone else tried this?
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: manicscousers on November 21, 2011, 08:56:38: Hiya, Mr pepper, welcome to a4a ;D
we have the blue barrels done both ways on our site. The ones connected at the bottom keep to the same level in all of them. The ones connected at the top fill one to another as they get full. One challenge with the bottom connected ones is we didn't seal them properly at first and they emptied quickly :)
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Mr Pepper on November 21, 2011, 09:20:08: Thanks for that I suppose one advantage of connecting at the bottom is you only need one tap, I am considering connecting at the top and syphoning or even using a small 12 volt pump. I wonder if connecting at the bottom keeps the water fresh as it is always flowing from one to the other to maintain the level?
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: manicscousers on November 21, 2011, 09:25:30: We only have a tap on the top systems, built up on breeze blocks to get a watering can in. In fact, we use the other method to dunk the cans in. We're looking, as an allotment site, to get a few pumps as we're trying to use all collected water :)
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: pumkinlover on November 21, 2011, 09:28:42: Ours are connected with long pipes which drape over the top but then go down to the bottom, they find the level slowly after used one to water. It seems to work ;)
Title: Re: Blue Barrels
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on November 21, 2011, 16:59:34: I'm wondering about the best way to combine four barrels of different types and three steel tanks, on one polytunnel I'm planning.

I was at an allotments conference in Birmingham the other day; several people have identified sources of barrels, and we've asked BCC to collect the details and circulate sites with the information. If they're going to threaten people with eviction for using hoses to water directly, it's the least they can do!