One of the most precious commodities in the country today is water. In most parts of the southwest the aquifer, or water table, is below record levels and great river systems, like the Colorado River, are taxed  beyond reasonable expectations of replenishment.

In the pioneer days people in semi-arid and arid areas collected water using gutter systems that emptied into barrels. These rain barrels could be filled and stored during times when the weather was wet and then the water was used for human consumption and washing when the ground was parched and the wells dried up. However, the development of deeper well systems all but ended this tradition until just recently.

Today more people than ever ware using rain collection systems to supplement their landscaping water needs. The Emsco 60 Gal. Waterstone Rain Barrel Rain Water Collection System Kit fits the needs for the homeowner who wants to conserve water and also lessens the dependence on municipal water systems. The Waterstone products have a natural rock appearance that fits in with most home and garden landscapes.

With a huge 60 gallon capacity the system includes a downspout kit that adjusts for any 2 x 3 or 3 x 4 inch downspout. This means that in a moderate rainfall the collection system will fill a 60 gallon rain barrel with water in approximately1-1/2 to 2 hrs. In addition The Emsco 60 Gal. Waterstone Rain Barrel Rain Water Collection System Kit can be diverted to an automatic watering system for providing moisture for nearby plants.

Can you imagine having all the water you need for a green lawn and shrubs without taxing water that should be used for human consumption? It’s really easy being green.

Occasionally my wife enjoys to write reviews of products she uses - this is one of those posts. Enjoy!

I have never been a fan of the bulky leather gardening gloves that most home improvement stores sell.  They grip well, when you can find something big enough to grab.  But you can forget about pulling tiny weeds or planting delicate seeds and seedlings.

Since I tend to be somewhat unorganized when gardening – jumping from weeding to raking to pruning, etc. – I need gloves that can run the gamut.  I decided to try the Bionic X-Wear Gardening/Work Gloves.  I believe they were originally designed for gardeners with arthritis, so they have silicone padding in the fingers and thumbs.  Even with the padding, you do not lose any dexterity or “feel.” The wrists fasten securely to keep dirt out (a big problem with traditional garden gloves, I found).

Casual gardeners who do not want to wait for the leather to stretch should order a size larger than you normally would, as these gloves run small.  Even with the snug fit, or perhaps because of it, my hands do not tire out as easily as they did with other gloves.  And I had no problem using an old, wood handled de-thatching rake, something that would have given me terrible blisters in plain leather gloves.

It’s spring, so odds are, it’s time to overseed your lawn. Or, if you’ve already overseeded your lawn, it’s time to put down some treatment for the spring to control weeds and feed your lawn.  In fact, now would be a good time to lay down some Crabgrass preventer.  You can drop by your local home improvement megawarehouse or hardware store and pick up some turf builder with weed/crabgrass prevention.

I won’t get in to the specifics of the importance of keeping your lawn in tip-top shape - that’s more or less a post for another time.  But what I will tell you is that for medium to large lawns, you can’t get any easier than using a push spreader.

And, if I may humbly recommend a spreader, I got a lot of mileage out of my Scotts AccuGreen 2000 Drop Push Spreader.  We have a medium-sized lawn with what the locals call a “south city hill” - our front yard is about 4 ft. above the sidewalk and there’s a rather harsh drop from lawn to sidewalk.  Fully knowing that mowing my front yard is kind of tough, I not only wanted the Scotts AccuGreen 20 Drop Push Spreader, I *needed* it in order to save my legs and back.

The hopper has a large capacity - you can hold roughly 75,000 sq. ft. of fertilizers and/or treatments.  And the large, easy-rolling 12 in. wheels provide enough clearance under the hopper to make sure you’re spreading the hopper contents far and wide.

For re-seeding, overseeding or treating, you can’t beat the Scotts AccuGreen 2000 Drop Push Spreader!