Over the weekend, my second Rain Barrel, gifted by my Dad and Step-Mom, was installed!
This one was set up at the back of the house to provide water for the Backyard Gardening Project, a hybrid of container gardening. 
For some reason, the Pumpkin Plants in two of the soil bags are significantly outperforming the other plants. My Dad has suggested that these bags may have torn at the bottom and are thus providing superior drainage and space for root expansion.
To test that theory, I plan to cut additional holes in several of the other bags later this week.
The new barrel is elevated about 15 inches off the ground so that gravity may improve water pressure. 
The preexisting barrel in the front of the house was likewise adjusted.
Both barrels have overflow vents. I suspect that the older barrel’s excess water has contributed to the blooms on my Knock-em Dead Rose Bushes. 
I depleted this barrels stores today while watering my Broccoli Plants…
…and my Marigolds which I seed raised in order to act as a natural pest-repellant for their neighboring plants. 
The plants have grown rather large and are about to bloom. The Tomato Plants are still not doing much and have struggled this entire season. 
I wrote of the difficulty I experienced while raising last seasons’ Tomato Crop in a previous post and resolved to cage them this year.
Although I have been adding coffee grounds and compost to the surrounding soil, they are still not flourishing the way I would like.
Green and Brown Compost Materials Pre-Breakdown:
I tend to forget that Dryer Lint may be added to compost materials.
My clothing, towels and linens are comprised of synthetic and non-synthetic materials, but an ideal situation would be contributing lint derived from all natural, organic fibers.
My Romaine Lettuce has all gone to seed. The leaves are now bitter; I need to research what to do from this point.
Last year, I harvested the heads and leaves before they arrived at this stage.
I am continuously learning as My Garden Grows. It instructs on virtues such as diligence and patience; these experiences are helping me improve both as a farmer and human being.
What lessons have you learned recently?
I was going to ask about the drainage on the bags before but I forgot. It will be interesting to see what happens when you cut some holes in the bottoms of the others.
I had no idea dryer lint could be used in compost. Does it serve a specific purpose?
Hey MG,
Yeah, hindsight is 20/20. I kind of figured that the baking sun would cause most of the standing water to evaporate, but they need drainage. I am hoping that the majority of the plants can make a comeback. Dryer lint functions the same as dried leaves/clippings/foliage…it’s the “brown” matter of compost whereas produce peels, eggshells, etc. make up the “green” matter.
🙂 🙂
This post explains in more depth:
https://saltandpepperthearth.com/2015/01/neat-gardening-tricks-and-tips