I recently got my first rain barrel and I'm really enjoying it! However, after a few months of heavy rain, the water has started to smell a bit like composting plants. There's a screen on it, but since it's collecting runoff from my roof, some debris is inevitably getting in. I'm curious if this smelly water is basically weak compost tea. Can I use it on my vegetables, or could it be beneficial?
1 Answer
You might want to be cautious with that rain barrel water. It's best to use it for trees and shrubs instead of direct food crops. If you have something you won't harvest for a while, like tomatoes, that could work. But avoid using it for quick-harvest greens or anything you're planning to eat soon! Check out these links for more tips on safe usage: [Northern Gardener](https://northerngardener.org/ask-a-master-gardener-rain-barrels/) and [UConn Extension](https://publications.extension.uconn.edu/2018/05/18/can-i-water-vegetables-with-my-rain-barrel-water/).
Thanks for the links! I appreciate the advice. I mostly grow tomatoes and cucumbers and prefer to water the soil, not the leaves, so I think I'll stick to those guidelines. No more greens for me—too challenging!