Lots more watering without the rain

We finally got some rain yesterday, it came down in buckets so there was a lot of run-off rather than a good soaking.  I will not complain about it, though, as we had gone a long time without any rain.  The rain barrels are filled up again.  I wish I had a larger storage system so I could use even more.  A cistern with a pump would be sweet.

I can see that the pak choy that I planted just days ago has already germinated.  We had some heat this past week with more on the way next week.  We have a nice cool weekend with mild temperatures in store.  

I am hoping to have enough tomatoes to start canning over the long Labor Day weekend coming up.  I think I am going to have to stick with sauces and salsa as I still have tomatoes from last year in jars.  It was so nice to be able to grab a jar of spaghetti sauce already made for a quick meal.  Homemade is always better.  I ran across a recipe from my grandmother's files for homemade chili sauce.  I also have a ketchup recipe shared by one of my cousins.  So many ways to use tomatoes.

We are celebrating the upcoming wedding with a shower for my daughter this weekend.  I am going to use whatever blooms are ready in the garden to decorate the tables and to share afterwards.  Flowers that are given away are the prettiest in the garden.  I will have to take pictures and share later.

Beans have been rather slow this year.  I think the cooler temps overall have really affected their output.  I hope this run helps put some more on the plants.

Cold Weather Coming...preparations part 1

Things to get done in preparation for a possible frost night:

• Cover lettuce and other crops I am still holding that I don't want "frosted"

• Cut back the plants that I am bringing in for winter so they fit through the door (and then some)

• Put cold sensitive plants in the garage for the night

• Harvest the rest of the peppers

• Water the root crops that are staying in the ground a little longer

• Take some pictures of the garden as it goes into a new color season (the sugar maples and flowering kale are really kicking in this week)

• Cover my lone tomato plant that I am going to see how long I can keep going next to the house

• Start using only rain barrel water so they are empty by the time it freezes

allysum, flowering kale, sedum and sugar maple

Heliotrope and lemon verbena
I wish you could smell this planter right now

A Red Letter Day in the Garden

The heat has paid off in the first summer crop.  The beans have been growing like crazy in the heat with the supplemental watering they have been getting.  I had two full quarts in my bucket on the first picking.  We like them small and tender so this was a good amount.  Nothing beats fresh produce from garden that goes right to the stove.

 I got a little distracted with other household stuff so I cooked them longer than I liked.  I made up for that with summer butter that I picked up from a small creamery over the weekend.  Some kosher salt and fresh ground pepper topped it all off for a simple supper.

My youngest enjoyed them without cooking.  She just snapped and ate right from the towel.
I did feel a bit of melancholy with the first picking as Jake was not there to enjoy it with me.  He enjoyed the beans just as much as the rest of us.  He would wait outside the garden gate waiting for me to toss a few over the fence for him.  I will always think of him and my mom while picking beans.  
The beans made yesterday pretty good, but it got better about 7 PM last night.  I saw the clouds coming when I was driving home at 6:30 but didn't hope for much.  When the wind came with the sound of water hitting the windows we were all relieved that we were finally getting some needed rain.  The storm was a good long one that left the streets still wet in the morning.  I was happy to see my rain gauge in the morning.

Glory be!  We have a real rain and the rain barrel confirmed the rain gauge with 55 gals of fresh water in it.  It was a red letter day.

Roll out the barrel (for rain, that is)

My rain barrels are simple.  I saved them from possibly living a life as garbage cans for greasy rags and broken parts.  They were liquid fertilizer barrels in their previous life.  Having them live out their useful days in a dusty garage seemed too cruel.  Someone had even suggested hauling them to a landfill!  It still makes me shudder.
The first barrel was my most eager attempt at capturing the water from my garage roof.  There is a spigot at the bottom.  I savaged an old brass faucet from a junk box, and not only does it work, it doesn't leak.  They don't make them like they used too... A nut and washer hold it to the inside, and on the outside, it functions just like any other faucet.  A little elevation off the ground and I was in business!

The second barrel is my quick and dirty model.  Like the first barrel I cut out the top to capture the water. This time I cut the hole as close to the edge as possible so I could use this one for filling my watering cans quickly and easily. 

The first one I had left a lip for fastening screen to the top for keeping out mosquitoes.  The second one has two layers of screen. The top one keeps out the bugs. The stiffer bottom piece of hardware cloth provides support to the finer screen and keeps out the critters.  I found out the hard way that chipmunks would be stupid enough to climb the barrel and fall in.  Not a pretty sight.  I figured I better do something stronger. The sharp edges also keeps out the neighborhood kids, which is good, as I do like most of them.  Mosquito dunks (a.k.a. Bt cake) can be floated in the barrel to also keep mosquitoes at bay and is not harmful for you or your plants.
Barrel two sits at ground level and is fed by barrel one as it overflows through the garden hose coming out as close to the top as I could get it.  I could fill both faster by having them on the opposite sides of the garage, each being filled by their own downspout.  Spouse number one is not fond of the blue barrels.  To keep peace in the house, I keep the barrels out of sight as far as possible.  They reside with the compost bin on the far side of the yard and all is well.  We don't have neighbors on that side so everyone is happy.

I am very fortunate, in rain barrel terms, to have a multi-level yard.  The barrels sit at the high side and gravity feeds the water down hill to most of my gardens.  A gardener could not ask for a better set up.  If I want to use a hose in the veggie garden, I attach it right to the rain barrel spigot and run it down hill.  The flow is just right for watering.  I can also use a pail to transfer water from barrel two to barrel one and use both barrels through the hose on barrel one.

I added a second feature to barrel two last year.  In previous years the water just over flowed the top after the barrel had filled.  Last year I took a short piece of hose with a male end that I salvaged from the bad hose pile and added an over-flow to the second barrel.  The male end is on the ground side and I was able to put a piece of soaker hose on that and transfer water to the planting area behind my garage.  It's not a perfect water transfer system, but it is better than the over-flow method.  
I put the barrels up yesterday as they are calling for a rainy weekend.  It is a good idea to keep some weight in the barrels to keep them from blowing over in a strong wind.  I put a couple gallons of water in the bottom of my empty barrels which is more than enough weight to keep them steady if we should have wind with our rain.
It is possible to go and purchase a rain barrel and be in business with the first good rain fall.  It is good to have a few tools at your disposal to shorten the downspout to barrel height.   If you construct your own from found materials, a saber saw or saws-all is helpful in cutting through the heavy plastic sides.  Larger drill bits are needed for spigot and hose over-flows.  Ask around the neighborhood if you don't have them yourself.  If you aren't good with tools, barter future veggies and flowers for the help in constructing the barrel.  Most people won't turn down homemade cookies as payment. It also helps your neighbors understand why you have that hideous thing sitting in your yard (can you believe that some people would think this???).  
You should also do a quick internet search to make sure your community doesn't have regulations or permit requirements first.  If you live in a newer subdivision, you might also have signed a covenant which will prohibit you from doing anything sensible in your own yard.  It may take some education to get changes there.
Good luck on your quest for rain water storage in your own yard.  The water has no chlorine or fluoride treatments which your plants don't like any way.  The sky is the limit on what you can accomplish!