Laura Lynn Gilbert does not get along with soaker hoses.
They kink, curl, get plugged. Some shoot five feet, some barely trickle water out.
She was fed up. So she found a solution.
Laura Lynn and Rick Gilbert own and operate Rain Barrels by Laura Lynn in Bella Vista. They specialize in 55-gallon barrels that collect and store rainwater from down spouts, to be used later to water plants and animals.
The business has been wildly successful, after its beginnings in the couple’s garage in 2009.
Each barrel has a spigot to drain the collected water, and a screen on top to keep debris and insects out. The barrels are food grade, reused after being filled with such things as olives and vinegar, even mouthwash.
Barrels that hold consumable products can be used three times then must be discarded, Rick Gilbert said. After that, they would go to a landfill.
“The barrels are guaranteed to last 70 years in a landfill,” Laura Lynn said, adding that means they can easily withstand being used in a yard for some time.
The water is not potable, however.
Besides saving money on water usage, the barrels offer a way to provide plants with chemical-free water that would otherwise be soaked into the ground. When Laura Lynn tested the water on her inside plants, they doubled in no time.
After a few years of refining the business, they expanded to offer larger devices for water storage.
They now carry a line of 250- and 330-gallon storage containers.
Barrels are priced at $75 for green or brown barrels and $55 for the white or blue barrels. Larger containers are $150 to $170.
This year, the business is growing again, by offering pre-constructed raised garden beds. The beds are custom built with the wood, in the shape of the customer’s choosing, then delivered full of dirt and ready to be planted.
“We’ll probably even plant them for you if you ask,” Rick said.
The beds require little maintenance and are a steal, considering the amount of dirt that comes in them, Rick said. Raised beds vary in cost from $175 to $375, depending on the size.
Single planters are available for $50.
And the answer to Laura Lynn’s soaker hose problem? A line of “water wands” that she has come up with to provide irrigation for the garden beds.
Available in different shapes and sizes, the wands attach to a hose from the barrel’s spigot.
The wands come with a control valve. That way, one can control the water flow and watering time, Rick said, eliminating the need to walk back and forth from the house.
If you forget to turn off the hose, he said, you’re only losing 55 gallons of free water.
Most gardens only need watering for about five minutes, he said, adding that people tend to overwater their gardens.
The sturdy plastic will not move after set between plants, or roll or plug or sink in the dirt like a soaker hose might, Laura Lynn said. They also come in a variety of shapes so they can be placed in areas such as surrounding a tree.
One in five trees were lost in last summer’s drought, she said.
“People have really evolved as far as consuming water,” she said. The barrels, larger storage tanks and raised beds can be custom made to the customers’ liking.
Rick just finished a St.
Louis Cardinals barrel last week.
The Gilberts said they have a variety that will please everyone, and their product conserves the environment and saves money.
And if you have your own barrel but don’t know how to make it into a rain barrel, they can help you there, too. Makeyour-own-rain-barrel kits are as simple as possible, Rick said, and come with everything but the barrel.
“I can do it (put together a barrel) in seven minutes,” Laura Lynn said.
Look for the shop on Spanker Road, or find the barrels and gardens displayed at places like the Bentonville Farmers’Market and the upcoming Arkansas State Master Gardeners Conference May 15-18 at the John Q. Hammonds Center in Rogers.
Area, Pages 12 on 04/24/2013