Catching the Rain

 When we came to Albuquerque 13 years ago I started calling around to find a rain barrel. (Yes - we actually get rain here in the desert.  It usually comes in July and August and we call it the monsoon season.  We get about  13" of precipitation yearly and really need every drop.)  Anyhow back to my story.  Everywhere I called they acted like I was from another planet.  A rain barrel???  No one seemed to know what I was talking about.  So I ordered one from Gardener's Supply Company.  It holds 70 gallons and because we have a single story home with a lot of roof area it fills in about 7-10 minutes of steady rain.

The first one worked so well that I ordered a second one.  They have a screen guard on the top.  That's really important to prevent mosquitos from taking up residence there.  Also it catches the big gunk that washes off the roof.  I've heard stories about women washing their hair in rainwater but you wouldn't catch me doing that!  After it washes off the roof its pretty gross and although my plants love it, its pretty disgusting.  This picture is shows the second rain barrel connected to a third one as the overflow barrel.
 

The overflow barrel(65 gallons) is a Fiskars one that I got at Lowes.  I've kept the lid solid and drilled a hole in the upper side connected to the green barrel.  When the green barrel fills it overflows into the gray one saving even more water.  All three rain barrels have an outlet at the bottom that can be connected to a hose.  That makes it easy to water plants and containers around my garden.       

As you can see, this system works well for me.  And now you can find rain barrels all over Albuquerque.  The city will even give you a rebate for having one (with the proper paperwork).  So I wasn't crazy - just ahead of my time.

One reminder - empty the rain barrels before a hard frost so that the water doesn't freeze and crack them.   

Repurposed Colander Planter

My mom taught me about reusing things from the kitchen in the garden.  I'll admit though that I used to roll my eyes and groan inside at her thriftiness.  Now I do the same thing. 


I had an old colander that had been banging around in the garden for a couple of years and then - aha!  This is how it was turned into a pretty little hanging planter.

I used this really lovely color - 'peekaboo blue' and sprayed inside and outside the colander 4 times.  I did the inside even though it won't show to protect the metal from rusting and running through onto the exterior.




The chain is from ACE Hardware (it's right around the corner from us).  And I love s-hooks, they are so handy I use them for hanging stuff outside all the time.  To keep the soil from washing out put a coir liner inside the colander.  When you first water go slowly so that the liner can absorb as much water as possible.

I always use a swivel connector for my hanging plants.  It makes it easy to rotate the planter to get even sunlight.  They are 'officially' used on dog chains to keep them from getting twisted up.  I added my chains to the colander with the s-hooks and pinched them closed. 






I guessed too long on the length of the chain that was needed.  But instead of cutting it off I let it dangle down in the center of the plant.  It turned out to be a nice touch and added some interest and movement.



 

And here's the finished planter on my front porch.  It's hanging over another pot which catches the drips when I water.  Check the weight of the planter after you water and see how heavy it is - this can be used as a guide for when to water next - never let it get too lightweight or your plants will quickly suffer.  Remember to put another pot underneath and the runoff won't be wasted.

Saving Seeds

My neighbor has been saving seeds for a few years and has shared some

with me.  Now she has shared this great resource with me: 

http://theseedsite.co.uk/

This is the perfect time to start learning about collecting and storing your own seeds to grow again and to share with others.

Still Alive!

Well, our granddaughters' visit is done.  They were here for a month and and I promptly came down with my post-visit cold.It  was lots of fun (not the cold) and exhausting too.  Sadly I'm not as young as I wish and my personal energizer bunny now has lots of gray hairs.  (Oh no, not another gray hare!)  

We had lots of fun and they spent a great deal of time out in the garden.  E told me that my garden keeps expanding even though the size stays the same.  I try to have things in the garden that they will enjoy.  

This summer  we made a hopscotch place for them from concrete blocks.  They numbered and decorated it themselves with sidewalk chalk which has washed off in the rain. 








 I also have an old repurposed breadbox that I use to store a few garden tools and supplies down on the lower level.  The girls got to decorate it for me.  Now its lovely with birds, bees, flowers and K's contribution of pink.

Don't let the summer heat get to you - remember to water your garden, planters and pots enough.  They get sick of the heat the same as we do.  Fertilize your heavy feeding veggies especially tomatoes.  Container plants and pots need deadheading and fertilizing.  Keep up with your garden now and it will reward you with a new blast late summer and early fall.