Goldfish in a rain barrel?

Hmmm. Just found a post online (and several more about the topic once I started searching) that said that you can put goldfish in your rain barrels to keep the mosquitoes under control. This doesn’t sound like a good idea AT ALL, to me, but I would be interested in hearing some other opinions.

Sure, we all know the benefits of rain barrels. They help to capture rainwater for future use and also help cut down on stormwater runoff.

Since they do hold standing water, some people are concerned that they may be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Since all of our rain barrels are the kind that are closed at the top, and fit directly to the downspouts on our home, we are not aware of them ever being a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

However, some people use a different type of rain barrel to capture their rain. These barrels are completely open at the top, and the opening is covered with screen to keep debris and small critters from getting in the barrel. I ASSUMED that these were the  type of barrels that some people add goldfish to, to help control any mosquitoes that lay eggs in the water. However, I found at least one post online where it looked like people were adding goldfish to a CLOSED barrel.

I don’t really know much about fish, but I am a critter lover. So my questions are: would goldfish in a closed rain barrel get enough oxygen? What about light? What happens when your rain barrel runs low on water? Or when its raining so hard that the water is just gushing into the barrel?

I know that these small fish are just sold as “feeder fish” for larger critters, anyway, so maybe people see them as expendable. But if they die, how do you keep the fish from clogging up your spigots?

Any fish experts out there care to add an opinion?

Here is the original post I read: Did you know? Goldfish and Rain Barrels

RainScapes Watershed Friendly Landscapes Tour 2012 – June 16th

I have mentioned the benefits of rain gardens many times, but the The Montgomery County website describes their benefits better than I can:

Environmental Benefits

Most rainfall on urban surfaces such as roofs, driveways, roads, parking lots and patios ends up as stormwater runoff. In contrast rainfall on natural surfaces (e.g., forests and meadows) soaks into the ground where it can replenish groundwater and recharge streams. RainScapes techniques include rainfall capture and holding, rainfall interception, and simulating good, natural drainage which help to:

• Reduce stormwater runoff volumes from individual properties
• Reduce drainage problems on a property
• Prevent stormwater pollution from entering our streams
• Reduce water consumption during dry spells
• Reduced need for mowing, fertilizer and pesticide applications
• Enhance yard aesthetics
• Enhance wildlife habitat
• Reduce energy costs to heat and cool your home
• Increase property values

In order to help illustrate the benefits of Rainscapes, there will be a self-guided tour of Rainscapes in Montgomery County on June 16th from 9am – Noon. This is a great opportunity to see just how beautiful and effective Rainscapes can be.

To download a pdf document with descriptions of the various landscapes on the tour, click here: RainScapes Watershed Friendly Landscapes 2012

Soaking up more info about rain gardens

I still haven’t started my rain garden yet, even though it is definitely something that I would like to get done before it becomes too hot this year. Rain gardens are such a great way to help prevent stormwater runoff, which is a leading cause of flooding and local waterway pollution.

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I’m hoping that some of you who do have rain gardens will enter photos in our Green Gardeners Make a Difference Photo contest so I can gain a little inspiration from your success stories. You can help educate and inspire others and you have the chance to win some great prizes (top prize is $700 worth of garden goodies).

In the meantime, I found a great article about a rain garden success story and it also has some links for more information.

The article is in the Severna Park Patch and is entitled Rain Gardens ‘Spring’ Back to Life by John Dawson, who is currently taking training at the Watershed Stewards Academy to become a watershed steward.

I encourage you to check out the article.

And whether you have a rain garden or not, I encourage you to take a walk around your yard, with your camera, and take a photo to share in our Green Gardeners Make a Difference photo contest. A native plant, a rain barrel, a butterfly on a flower – any of these things help to illustrate the eco-friendly aspects of your garden and we would love to share them with our readers.

Plants for Rain Gardens

I mentioned yesterday that I’m in the process of planning a rain garden. I’ve been doing a little bit of research, trying to find plants that might work for the areas we have, which are all fairly shady. As a personal preference, I also don’t want plants that are going to grow too tall and block my view of the rest of the yard.

Here’s a list I found in the Rain Garden Design and Construction Handbook which I mentioned in my previous post. The complete list (in the booklet) provides a lot more information about each specific plant. There are quite a few that look like they will work in our shady locations and not get too tall, including swamp milkweed, blue mistflower, and blue flag iris.

Here is a list of suitable Native Plants from the Rain Garden Design and Construction Handbook which I found on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission website.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Light	Size
Flowering Perennials
Swamp milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
New England Aster	Symphotrichum novae-angliae	Sun	2-4’
Turtlehead	Chelone glabra	Sun-shade	3-6’
Blue mistflower	Conoclinium coelestinum	Sun-shade	1-3’
Joe-Pye weed	Eupatorium fistulosum	Sun-pt. shade	3-8’
Ox-eye sunflower	Heliopsis helianthoides	Sun-pt. shade	3-5’
Marsh mallow	Hibiscus moscheutos	Sun	3-5’
Blue flag	Iris versicolor	Sun-pt. shade	2-3’
Blazingstar	Liatris spicata	Sun-pt. shade	3-4’
Cardinal flower	Lobelia cardinalis	Sun-shade	3-6’
Beardtongue	Penstemon digitalis	Sun-pt. shade	2-5’
Obedient plant	Physostegia virginiana	Sun-shade	3-5’
Wild bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
Beebalm	Monarda didyma	Sun-pt. shade	3-4’
Black-eyed susan	Rudbeckia hirta	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Rough-stemmed goldenrod	Solidago rugosa	Sun-pt. shade	3-5’
Blue vervain	Verbena hastata	Sun-pt. shade	2-5’
Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	Sun-pt. shade	5-8’
		Light
Grasses, Grass-like Plants & Ferns
Broomsedge	Andropogon virginicus	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Sea oats	Chasmanthium latifolium	Sun-pt. shade	2-4’
Soft rush	Juncus effusus	Sun-pt. shade	1-3’
Cinnamon fern	Osmunda cinnamonea	Sun-shade	3-5’
Royal fern	Osmunda regalis	Sun-shade	2-6’
Switchgrass	Panicum virgatum	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Indian grass	Sorghastrum nutans	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Shrubs & Trees
Serviceberry	Amelanchier canadensis	Sun-shade	15-25’
Red chokeberry	Aronia arbutifolia	Sun-pt. shade	6-12’
Black chokeberry	Aronia melanocarpa	Sun-pt. shade	3-6’
Buttonbush	Cephalanthus occidentalis	Sun-shade	6-12’
Silky dogwood	Cornus amomum	Sun-shade	6-12’
Winterberry	Ilex verticillata	Sun-shade	6-12’
Virginia sweetspire	Itea virginica	Sun-shade	4-8’
Spicebush	Lindera benzoin	Pt. shade-shade	6-12’
Ninebark	Physocarpus opulifolius	Sun-pt. shade	6-12’
Elderberry	Sambucus canadensis	Sun-shade	6-12’
Highbush blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	Sun-shade	6-12’
Arrowwood viburnum	Viburnum dentatum	Sun-shade	6-8’

Planning for (another) rainy day

I was wandering around our yard the other day thinking that the next project we should undertake is creating some sort of rain garden.

We know the importance of keeping as much of the rainwater ON our property as possible, rather than letting it run off. This slows down the runoff, helping to filter pollutants before the water reaches local water supplies. Helping to do our part to slow down pollution is one of the reasons that we  have rain barrels on several of our downspouts and why adding more to the other downspouts is on our ever-growing to-do list.

We also have very long drainage tubes attached to the overflow pipes of our rain barrels, which allows us to direct the water away from our house and into whatever area we choose. But so far, we haven’t taken advantage of that runoff by planting gardens of water loving plants.

Right now I’m still in the planning stage, doing a little research on what plants will work well in a rain garden and also survive on our shady property.

I’ve found a lot of great information on planning and designing rain gardens, and wanted to share some of it with you if the rainy days also have you seeking solutions for your soggy spots.

Rain Gardens – Arlington, VA website

Rain Garden Design and Construction Manual (pdf)

Beautifying Your Yard for Healthy Streams - Residential Rain Gardens – Many links on this page for more info (Northern Virginia Regional Commission)