Hibernating the Rain Barrels for the Winter

As many of you know, I have three rain barrels hooked up to my down spouts to gather water that I use to water my garden in the spring and summer. Once fall hits, the need to water anything lessens and I end up having barrels with no reason to empty them.

Until today...

With the cold weather we have experienced, the barrels need to be emptied so they don't crack as a result of the water freezing. I didn't do a good job of it last year. I emptied them, but just left the spickets open at the bottom so the water would drain out if there was any rain or melting snow.

I decided to completely unhook them this year, but there was a problem...I cut the downspouts to fit the barrels, but now they don't reach the ground. Luckily, someone, in the history of house owners, placed some in-ground drainage that leads out to the curb. I purchased some extendable tubing which fit perfectly into the drainage tubes that go underground. Problem solved...as long as it works.