Monday, June 18, 2012

Finally, some more rain

Our last bit of rain (.15") was 2 weeks ago.  Yesterday we we got another .15" in the morning.  That amount really amounts to - nothing.  That little barely makes it down the to the ground, wetting only the top of the various mulches.

But then, oh happy day, around 5:30, another squall line came through and, over the next hour and half, dropped another .6" of sweet sweet rain. (Total so far this month - a measly 1.75")

All my water barrels are filled (3 x 55 gal).  I even managed to catch some overflow from the garage barrel into a 32-gallon trash container (about 15 gallons).














But rain in a barrel does little good compared to the nice soaking the all the gardens got.  Things were starting to drop leaves, go dormant (the grass hasn't been mowed for 2 weeks).  The rain came just in the nick of time, too, as this week will see only more sun and lots of 90s.  *pant*

I'd used up all the previous contents of the garage barrel to set out most of the rest of the deck plants. There's room to swing a cat out there now and would be a nice place to visit --  if the temps weren't so torrid.

I'll foray out in the early a.m. and late evening, but otherwise I've planned no outside activities for the near future.  *sigh*  At least I can still enjoy the views from the windows while I plot, plan and otherwise dream of a better, wetter year.  You'll probably see more entries on the household and kitchen pages now. *heh*

(added later: rueful update -- Just back in from a quick walkaround, checked the shed barrels (full) and the veg beds.  The downside of long periods of heat and no rain require deeper mulching with available grass clippings.  The .75 total yesterday did not reach the soil under the mulched vegs.  With little forecast for future rain, the mulch is better to have than not.  At least when I DO water the plants, what they get won't evaporate away.  There's always pros and cons when it comes to mulch. But in my book - there's always more pros. )

(added even later: -- There's a chance for more rain tonight.  So I got busy... (CLICK HERE))

8 comments:

  1. That's the way we're getting rain.....just little showers here and there.
    The windy 90° dries it up quickly.

    I long for a good 3-4 inch soaker.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frustrating, isn't it? Yesterday's big radar picture swept by with high winds, lightning and thunder, but yielded only a measly .15" of rain. *sigh* At least I caught everything I could.

      Delete
  2. We had what looked like a real good downpour coming on Sunday, but although it came down in buckets, it only lasted a short time.
    Some of the plants were droopy by night time. :-(
    My goal for this year is to finish up mulching all the gardens. I have started really working on getting the neglected areas weeded and mulched, but the heat is keeping me inside with a book. My outside activity consists of a quick trip to check to see who is droopy and give them a drink to keep them going.
    This week is supposed to be pretty hot with the humidex making it really miserable.
    lois

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like you're getting the same spastic rain we are getting here. Hot/humid here this week too. I'm do what I can in the a.m. when it's cool(er) and the back is in the shade. By 10:00 it's miserable and I'm looking for inside stuff to do.

      Sounds like a big project - all that weeding/mulching. Hope we get some 'normal' temps soon for you. 'Cause if anything loves this kind of weather, it's weeds. :-(

      Delete
  3. Oh Kris, I'm glad SOMEONE in Ohio got some rain. We've gotten NOTHING here in Paulding County since the first of May. No kidding. Not one drop here at Our Little Acre. It's depressing!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Kylee! My heart ACHES for you! You must just be beside yourself - all those gardens. Thanks goodness you have supplemental water and are still getting some goodies (like the peas - like candy, no?).

      Still, there's nothing more a gardener yearns for than a nice long soaking rain.

      Delete
  4. I always get a little stressed when my rain barrels are empty. We'll be in the upper 90's for the rest of the week and all my pots (55) will finish off the bit of water in our Big Daddy barrel (156 gallons). I'm hoping for more rain, too. Your patio garden looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, we're all gonna swelter this week! And be dry. :-( Last year we were under water a lot, this year - high and dry. Wow. 156 gallons? That IS a big daddy! Takes some rain to fill THAT guy up, yes? LOL

      Delete

Thank you for visiting. I appreciate your notes, comments and questions and will try to reply to each one! :-)