28 April 2008

I know I complained about lack of water last year...

... but please, please could we just get it distributed a bit more evenly?

Vegetable garden underwaterThe vegetable garden had just dried out enough for me to feel brave enough to plant the garlic, shallots and onion sets yesterday. Then today's rain arrived - 38mm (1.5 inches) so far and it's not even midday yet. I'm expecting to see the onions floating past any minute.

Rainwater diverters divertingThe basement cistern is nearly full, the water measuring 47 inches (120 cm), so I've had to make use of the diverters on the drainpipes for the very first time, to stop the rainwater from filling it any more.

I think sorting out the drainage in the garden is going to have to be a priority. The annoying thing is that I can be fairly sure that in three months' time I'll be struggling with a drought again.

I've probably been slow on the uptake here, but Google has introduced a really neat conversion calculator - so if you put "47 inches in cm" (without the quotation marks) into the Google search box, it gives you the answer. Very handy.

The only good thing about the rain is that the tulips look just as gorgeous in the wet as they did in the sun.


ChrisND said...

Too much or too little...I hope your garden doesn't flood out completely. We had to explicitly plan for the spots in our yard that flood some in the Spring from rain or melt.

Off the topic, the Google seems to know a lot: you can even ask "The answer to life the universe and everything." though it only makes sense if you are familiar with "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

Linda aka Crafty Gardener said...

It seems we are never really happy about the amount of rainfall. We had heavy, heavy rain last night with some thunder as well. Lots of puddles in the garden today. I remember a cistern well, from when we lived down in the County.

Amanda said...

Hi Chris and Crafty

Yes, never satisfied, I know! Despite all my moaning, I am really enjoying the spring, and at least there are some dry spots for planting.

Google is just a bit too clever by half, sometimes, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

What are those peculiar green waders at the bottom of your drainpipes?

Amanda said...

Ah, yes. That's our overflow system. When it's not raining (or when the water is being diverted into the cistern - behind that wall), the green extensions curl up, rather like a butterfly's proboscis. When it's pouring down, they extend outwards, taking the water away from the side of the house. If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see the water coming out of the holes in the green plastic. The black pipe coming in from the right is connected to two big tanks in our barn, which collect rainwater up there. In the summer our problem is lack of water, not an excess!