Roll out the rain barrel giveaway

Let's start Urban Homesteading Giveaway Week with a bang, shall we?

For those of us who practice urban homesteading in close proximity to the neighbors, sporting a butt-ugly rain barrel can be a concern. I personally like the looks of the traditional rain barrels, but many neighbors (and homesteaders) do not. Even if the neighbors can't see the barrels, many people don't want their yards to look like an Ed Begley, Jr. experiment so they seek out something a little more subtle. Beautiful even.

That's what I did when I got our rain barrel (pictured at left). Not only did it look more like a large, earthen urn but it included a planter on top.

I drilled holes in it, lined it with barrier cloth, filled it with potting soil and planted strawberries and cyclamen to add some visual interest. The raised strawberries worked out great because it kept the slugs, critters and chickens away and produced all summer long.

If you don't want to use it as a planter, you can use it as a birdbath instead. In either case, it looks much better than a giant pickle barrel and, no doubt, the neighbors will be less likely to give you funny looks. Funny looks that they can save for when the dairy goats move in.

Giveaway
For today's giveaway, one randomly selected winner will receive a 50 gallon Algreen Rain Barrel (pictured at right). It's a little smaller than my 65 gallon one, but the principles are the same. It features:

• Molded plastic that won't chip, crack, or fade
  
• A 4-foot garden hose with shutoff nozzle
  
• A screen guard and removable crown planter
  
• Measures 23 x 33 inches

How to enter
If you are interested in entering the random drawing, please add your name to the comments of this post. You have until midnight PST this Friday, February 25th to enter. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. You do not need to be an urban homesteader to enter this giveaway - just someone who needs a rain barrel.

Good luck!

Note: There are affiliate links in this post. Consider yerself warned.