i LUV the fact that the
plants in the self-watering pots are good for a longer amount of time...comes in handy when you go away for a bit!!
i've got one of those large plastic barrels too...got it with the intention of collecting rainwater for the
plants.
my dad, trying to be helpful, filled the thing with the stone that i removed from one of the flowerbeds...didn't cover it properly so now it's filled with water and got moldy/mildewy...what a mess i'll have to clean up once the weather turns nice.
dunno why he did that!! the stones were just fine piled in the back corner of the yard. (*hates it when dad comes over and 'helps'*)