The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Each note about the bugs, buds, and birds around us is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns of nature that are quietly unwinding around us. |
There is a patch of day lillies at the back edge of the yard. I keep them watered as needed by using my rain barrel. This year, the deer have walked by the lillies so often they have worn a path. Most years, they eat the fresh buds before they bloom, robbing me of the pleasure of seeing them in their glory. Their timing was a little off this time. A lot of them were in full bloom last weekend.
You guessed it. All of them were eaten by the next morning after the picture was taken. I hope they choked on them.
Come below the raspberry bramble for more of today's bucket.
A few years ago, our city offered to pay home owners half of the cost of rain barrels, butterfly gardens, rain water retention projects, etc., up to $750. I was considering installation of a barrel before I read the announcement in the city newsletter. That news prompted me to go ahead with the plan.
Here is my small garden arrangement on the south side of the house. There are two terraces full of rich soil. I rotate my crops of pole beans, basil, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Because it is on the south side of the house, the soil dries quickly. Watering is needed often. I got tired of dragging a hose to the garden and returning it. So, I put the barrel at the high end near the down spout with a hose attached I could leave in place.
The lower terrace this year has Celebrity tomatoes. I like them for their flavor and size. The plants aren't growing very tall this year. It has been a very unusual year for the garden. I don't know if the crop will be any good. I like to freeze bags of them for use in the later months.
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The upper terrace has pole beans, rhubarb, basil, and cherry tomatoes. They are all looking pretty good. I have harvested 2 batches of the rhubarb and a third is on the the way.
The great thing about this arrangement is how easy watering has become. I can pull the hose to the plants and give them a drink. It takes only a few minutes. No more dragging hoses around the corner from the faucet.
Here is a closer look at the rain barrel next to the down spout. I cut the down spout off and attached the flexible section. When the barrel is low, I can place that flexible piece on the barrel to catch more water with the next rain. It takes 0.1" of rain to add 12" of water to the barrel. There are 3 overflow hoses at the top of the barrel. There is a shut off valve where the watering hose is attached near the bottom. The top has a screen filter to keep creatures out and mosquitoes from being a problem. I am very happy with set up. The total cost with shipping was about $120. The city verified the plan ahead of time, gave me the go ahead, and paid half upon inspection when done.
How about your gardens? Do you have some useful arrangements to make your life easier? What is going on with you today? Where are you? Please add your comments to the bucket for us to inspect.