Leslie Courington collects rain. In fact, collecting rainwater is a passion for her, and she’d like to see everyone in Brown County collect rain, too.
“We can’t afford not to,” she says. “Last year’s drought made it very clear that we have to conserve every drop of water we can. That includes what falls from the sky.”
Leslie uses her own personal experience and her credentials as a certified Texas Master Gardener to preach the practice of rainwater harvesting. She and fellow Master Gardener Thom Nairns will put that message into action this Saturday at the Brownwood Area Community Garden Harvest Festival with a demonstration on building a rainwater catchment barrel.
Her program is intended to show how easy it is to collect rainwater off a roof, and save it for an “unrainy” day. The program also includes a comprehensive look at household water conservation tips.
“Basically, if you have a barrel or a trash can, some very simple plumbing fittings, and a place where rainwater runs off your roof, you can harvest rainwater,” Leslie said. “It’s really that easy, and next summer when your garden starts to die of thirst, you’ll look at that barrel of rainwater like its liquid gold.”
She cautions that finding the right kind of barrel is usually the biggest challenge to a rainwater catchment project.
“You want sturdy, food-grade barrels that haven’t been used to store chemicals that might contaminate your rainwater. And we just happen to have some.” Indeed, heavy-duty 50-gallon plastic barrels, complete with hardware and fittings for rainwater catchment, will be offered for sale for $50 on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Rain Barrel demonstration and program begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the west gate at Garden, and is open to the public free of charge.
The Brownwood Area Community Garden’s Spring Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Community Garden, located at 1514 Dublin St., behind the Central Texas Opportunities offices. Parking is available at the Salvation Army building on Lakeway, between Commerce Street and Belle Plain Avenue. Admission is free.
As it nears the end of its third growing season, the Community Garden has produced more than 5,000 pounds of produce that has been donated to the Salvation Army soup kitchen and Good Samaritan Ministries.
The Community Garden is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide area food pantries with fresh, naturally grown produce year-round.
The Garden also leases garden plots to local families and organizations for a nominal fee, creates job opportunities and on-the-job training for area residents in a “green” industry, and offers a variety of educational events throughout the year.
For additional information, call 325-784-8453 or 324-641-9029.
Pictured above: Master Gardener and Rainwater Specialist Leslie Courington prepares a barrel for water collection. Photo contributed.
