I do what puglvr1 does. I also collect rain water. But for me, in winter the whole thing freezes. I get so anxious for a thaw sometimes to start using it again. I also buy bottled spring water to hold me overe, and then when I empty the gallon jugs, I fill from the barrell and store where they don't freeze. I have dozens of these. If they are frozen stored outside, I bring a couple in at once and let them thaw out. The longest any water was stored at once was less than a month. You would be suprised how fast you can go through collected rain water, especially if you have dozens of plants. You would also be suprised how often the old water changes out with new, when it rains. I have never heard of storing rain water that contaminates on it's own, especially from the roof, unless something is thrown into it. I would say I completely have no rainwater from Jan to about March completely,becuase I run out and can't refill from the bucket, until rain and warmth starts to come my way again, and melts that huge barrell of ice. I know people, that shovel snow and toss it in tub in their cellar, and keep using this, with never a problem.

Thank you Fetters. Really good post. Quite timely for us as DH has suggested putting in a garden pond. My first question was, "What about the mosquitoes?" I was intrigued by the mention of Lemon Eucalyptus. E maculata sounded somewhat familiar so I assumed we call it something else down here. I googled it and this is what I found. E maculata is known as Spotted Gum or Honey Gum (good for bees). E citriodora is known as Lemon-Scented Gum. And there is a hybrid E maculata citriodora. Recently these particular gums have been reclassified from Eucalyptus to Corymbia (useful to know in case the nurseries change the labels). I debated whether to mention the next bit. In some areas they are getting a reputation as an invasive weed. It's hard to know when such a reputation is truly warranted. (I have some birch trees, which are most definately not indigenous to my area, and I do get seedlings coming up, but after all these years my birches haven't taken over the nearby bushland. Or is that because they have no chance against the Patterson's Curse, which was once an introduced garden flower.) I suppose all I can say is do some research if you're thinking of planting one. Perhaps conditions in the areas of the US where they are grown are such that they are happy enough to grow okay but not so happy that they get out of control. And the good news is if you change your mind after you've planted one, it apparently makes really good timber. Hello OzOrganic. Sorry to hear about your landlord issue. Don't get me started on that subject. Hope you find a solution soon.

Here you go... Fill an 8oz. spray bottle half full of distilled or boiled water OR plain vodka--I used distilled. Add witch hazel almost to the top. Add 30-50 drops of assorted essential oils--a mix of the ANY of the following--to your scent preferences and shake well before using, just adjust the amounts to whatever size spray bottle you have: eucalyptus geranium peppermint wintergreen cedar lavender clove citronella lemongrass lemon rosemary tea tree thyme Some recipes use *carrier* oils such as jojoba or olive oil for a base, I thought that unnecessary and didn't use them. I had some both dark brown and blue mini mister bottles, so I've been using them. These may be for sale wherever you get your essential oils. I store the preparation out of direct light--just because! LOL! I've found that the mix lasts a long time. My next batch I'll switch up the scents, however I will always use some version of lemon because it's a favorite of mine--and maybe some wintergreen, too! You can do a search and find out lots more info, if you like. Wishing you the best. More than one season I've confined myself to the house rather than be swarmed by mosquitoes--which I see as pure torture. I hated using the OTC preparations so I searched out a homemade version and lo and behold it worked for me! Wishing you the best!

once goldfish get past the fry stage, they don't much care for eating mosquito larva either. Either get a few mosquito fish (minnows that eat larva) or stick with dunks. Find the fish a more suitable environment to live in also. Rain water is not very good for goldfish....pH too low and level of toxins from roof run-off too high.