What to do with a home brew barrel

[HeyWayne]

A few weeks ago my Mum got hold of a home brew barrel (you'll be amazed what some people will try and give to the charity shop) - anyway it looks a bit like this one:



She said I could use it to collect rain water - bless her. Needless to say, it's kinda rubbish at collecting rainwater and to be honest I'd empty it as soon as it were full.

I don't know what else to do with it - any suggestions?

[Mikey]

How about a feed/liquid fertiliser container, the tap makes light work of decanting. Can't tell by the image how easy it is to get into the top.

Or, home made hedgerow brews, like Elderflower Champagne.

[HeyWayne]

How about a feed/liquid fertiliser container, the tap makes light work of decanting. Can't tell by the image how easy it is to get into the top.

Or, home made hedgerow brews, like Elderflower Champagne.

I don't think it's operational - there's something rattling around inside it. I don't have the time, patience, skill, knowhow or produce to home brew.

[Mikey]

In which case stick some dried peas in it, a cane on one end, and shake your maraca!!

[HeyWayne]

In which case stick some dried peas in it, a cane on one end, and shake your maraca!!

Leave my maracas out of it.

[zazen999]

Yeah, shove comfrey and nettles in and wait for the ooze to ooze out, and feed it to the plants [diluted of course].

Once you've emptied your peas out of course.

[Hilary B]

It's a pressure barrel isn't it? making homebrew is easy (if you use a kit) and for about half-an-hour of work, and a couple of weeks of waiting, you could have 40 pints of whatever kind of beer takes your fancy. That is what those things were made for!
The top surely comes off, so no problem putting things in it, if the tap works, no problem getting liquids out (and if it doesn't work, there are ways of fixing), there must be a hundred uses on an allotment. The 'liquid fertilizer' system is perhaps the most straightforward.

[Mikey]

Leave my maracas out of it.

I'm not touching your maracas, or shaking your stick for that matter.

[quark1]

I know little about home brewing also but this site might help

Easy Brew Home Brew | Make Your Own Beer | Homebrew Beer Kits | Brew Your Own Beer | Making Your Own Wine | Wine Making | Home Brew Beer Kits | Homebrew Kits | Home Brew Starter Kits | Beer Gifts | Beer Making Kits For Beginners | Wine Making Kits Fo

these barrels come in pressure relief or injection types - but like I say - I'm clueless about the niceties.

At £20+ I'd think twice about dumping it. Even if you were to excavate holes and take off the top you'd have a pretty fine strawberry/herb tub. But I'm sure there must be a way of using it for liquid feed or the like. Perhaps even with a piece of hose attached you might be able to craft some kind of slow-release watering device for when you're on hols?

Failing that you could always try and sell online or at a car boot and use the proceeds to buy new seed/equip etc for next year!

[seasprout]

Shake your bits.

Wee in it.

When its full, empty it on to your compost heap as an activator.

[SarzWix]

Fill it up with tap water & use it for drinks when you're on the lottie. I keep trying to half inch one of Jez's for that purpose, but he always seems to notice me trying to smuggle it out...

[rogesse]

Seasprout - is it true that only man wee is effective?

[squashysu]

put your head in it and walk around telling jokes - you could be a barrel of laughs lol!!

seriously though - put some holes in the bottom and grow something, it would be sturdy enough for sweetcorn, when filled up and paint it and put it on the patio.

SS