I looked for the specific thread that dealt with rain and water but found that many threads talked about how we have all suffered this season and the last few years. So, I wanted to say, that with Fay around the corner I hope you, Farmerdill, and the rest who have had no rain this garden season get socked. If this is the case, and you have some to spare, please send it my way. After a decent July, we have had no rain this August. Our pond is looking like a big puddle.
Laurel
Laurel, my wishes too, that everyone gets much needed rain. We did get 5" at one time the other day. Most rain we've had at one time this whole year. That filled our puddle of a pond back to normal levels. Did you get any rain today? We got a little shower. Your pond looks so peaceful!
No, we have had none. I was watering yesterday under a big black cloud and thunder. Nothing.
The pond was so full and the fish were happy when I took this photo in Spring. We have a tree across the pond and fish are trapped on the side that is drying out. I hope we can get enough rain for them to live. In the meantime, here's wishing everyone a good dousing. I'm sure none of us have had too much this season.
Laurel
Thank you, Laurel. It is my hope as well that we all get rain - just enough, not too much. For us August has been slightly better than June and July with two beneficial rains in the last three weeks. Could do with more but it's a start.
My group has organized a garden tour on Thursday. Cancelling because of rain will be annoying but a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
Well, hope you have a few dry hours to squeeze in the tour and it rains the rest of the time. It seems, from my very limited info up here, that the day and time of rain arrival is in question. We may get nothing up here at all. I'm digging out the rain stick from upstairs in the morning.
I have planted lettuces, rutabagas and beets this week. Can't do a full blown Fall garden as it would break my heart to see everything shrivel up with no rain.
Laurel
We got a good downpour about an hour ago. I'm sure we are going to get some from Fay tomorrow or Wednesday. I will not complain and enjoyed every minute of it. I hope all of Georgia gets some to fill up the ponds and lakes. Elaine
Well talk about rain stick magic!!! It didn't exactly rain, but the concrete and pumper truck arrived early to pour the new fireplace foundation. At the end of the pour the pumper truck guy, who had been admiring the garden, asked if I had anywhere to put about one hundred gallons of water. He said it could go through a garden hose. He was so nice to wait and let the veggies and flowers take a BIG drink. Now I gotta go cut okra because, with all that water, it grew an inch since this morning!lol I'm giddy from water intoxication.
Laurel
What a delightful story Laurel!
happy dance for you laruel . is there any way to open a ditch between ponds , or pump into drying up pond . yo bud , sally
Laurel, you lucky lady! I'd run out and buy a lottery ticket, maybe you'll hit the big time again after that water bonanza. So did you jump up and down when he asked if you had a place for the water, or were you Cool-Hand-Laurel and offhandedly said, Well, I guess I could help you out! :)
Actually, I offered him some cucumbers. Does this whole nation suffer from indigestion? Can't seem to get rid of those darn things to save my life (please don't make me can any more). And, do you notice how they taunt you by getting weirder shaped as the season goes on? The plants spend six weeks succumbing to powdery midew and in their death throes they are still cranking out cukes. It's like their mocking me because I can't throw them out. I did manage to pawn one off on the neighbor's kid by showing him how it looked like a duck's head. Arr arr. He's been composting his cukes fo weeks.
Sally, there's a place on Blue Creek Rd where the pond runs parallel to the creek. They pump water from the creek over into their pond and then overflow the pond back into the creek when needed. Oh, I think there's another like that on Duncan Bridge.
I did hit the lottery Pam. DD called two days ago and has a gap in new employment with the National Park Service, Historic Register, because of extensive security clearances. School doesn't restart until the 3rd, so she was able to take advantage of a super cheap standby and got on the first plane to Atlanta from D.C. this afternoon! That's luck! I'm so excited. She loves to garden and be here in the woods with me. Everything works out perfectly because DH is in Atlanta and will come up with her in the morning. Do I detect chicken and sausage gumbo to make use of that okra...YES.
Now life would be perfect if we can garden and then spend a very rainy day or so doing crafty things or working on that remodeling project.
Laurel
laurel , i meant can you pump out of your bigger pond into the one that the fish are trapped in ? we have a coupla pumps you can borrow if it could help. we have hoses to pump thru . yo bud , sally
You did good getting an extra 100 gal, but really that's not a lot. I have a 250gal tank to catch rainwater from the roof. I can water with a hose from it for only and hour. I try to stretch it from rain to rain with a pump and hose.
Hey all, still no rain, but the next days look promising.
Sally, thanks for the offer. the water is all in one pond, but the pond is drying up. I wish we could walk out there and cut the tree out, but it's like quick sand with the silting on that end. Anyway, the rain stick is being activated and the hammock has been put out. Hopefully that should bring it on. Hope ya'll in S. GA are not getting flooded.
Laurel
Finally got some rain here this afternoon and evening. Pretty windy, but otherwise not a bad storm. Guess the rain stick worked! Thanks Laurel.
Becky
I think Laurel pointed her stick down south too. We got over 9". Filled our pond back up. ^_^
Ratz, Cordeledawg!!!! Narry a droplet here, but I'm happy the old faithful stick worked for you. Went to visit a fellow DGer and they got some sprinkles while we were there. They are less than twenty miles from us. Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day. The masons start block and stone work tomorrow. We have had to fill water storage barrels for mortar mixing at the expense of the garden.
I keep forgetting to take a picture and post a photo of the magic stick.
Laurel
Well the fireplace is a must fix. My granddaddy had one of those sticks. Is it forked?
Sounds like Grandaddy might of had a dowsing stick. That's for finding water. A rain stick is more a native American tool and is used in rain dances to bring on rain. Honest to goodness, I asked DH to give it a shake less than thirty minutes ago and we just got a little dump! Guess ya'll know what the evening's entertainment is going to be...DH (from Boston no less) dancing around the bedposts. Now don't anyone out there be falling down laughing if you get some rain in the next day or two.
L
Rolling here! Can close my eyes and see y'all! Hey if you believe, then it will work!
Looking at the radar animation, you just might get some if you keep on dancing.
http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=GSP&lat=34.62699890&lon=-83.80280304&label=Cleveland%2C+GA&type=N0R&zoommode=pan&map.x=400&map.y=240¢erx=400¢ery=240&prevzoom=zoom&num=6&delay=15&scale=1&showlabels=1&smooth=0&noclutter=0&showstorms=0&rainsnow=1&lightning=1
Now you just stop rolling, Cordeledawg. He's done his best to overcome those Boston roots.
AND AS I TAP...HERE COMES THE RAIN! The smell is incredible. I have to leave Maypop's garden by Tuesday, but we need to plant Brussels sprouts and broccoli tomorrow when the ground softens. The lettuces, beets and rutabagas are up. Cilantro and arugula are resowing. There is still so much in the garden to be grown and harvested if we can just get some water.
Laurel
Laurel, do you can or freeze? Arugula? I'll have to look that one up. I feel I'm been missing out on some good eats reading about your wonderful vegatables you grow.
Can or freeze? Why do you ask? I'll be happy to send you some arugala seed. They're amazing cooked or raw. Grows at every time of year. A totally edible weed! DMail if interested...it's a green very underutilized down here.
Laurel
Just asking for your preferred method of putting up vegatables. I figured you had a favorite since you grow so much of your own. I don't know which is the best for certain vegatables. I like to put up peas and butterbeans by freezing. But string beans are better canned to me. Tomatoes are good canned too. Nice picture of your jams. I put up some figs one time. IT was just a gratifying feeling to eat them knowing I put them up.
Thank you for your offer of the Arugala seeds. Let me do some reading on that plant. I'd like to know what I'm doing before sowing seeds I'm not familar with. I wouldn't want to waste any seeds if I truely didn't plan on growing them to eat. I do enjoy trying new things though, and eating new foods too.
Oh, sorry. We grow a lot and can a little. The rest we give away to friends, neighbors and food banks. I water bath can tomatoes, jams, pickles, relishes, chutney, jerk and so on. We grow some things on into Winter and then rely on fresh produce from several Atlanta farmer's markets. Never have pressure canned. I have an upright freezer that I bought years ago and used for two seasons. We didn't care for frozen food after being spoiled by fresh.:) The frozen food companies flash freeze veggies. I don't know how to replicate that. Even after chilling them off in the fridge before freezing everything tasted mushy.
Laurel
hope you got the rain , like we did laurel , this ought to boost it up for your garden . on freezing or canning , if your veggies seem mushy , it may be they are in the blanch process too long . for me , the frozen is superior to canned veggies . i wouldn't even think of canning tomatoes again . i can't tell any difference in them and freezing is so easy for me .but of course , i gorge on fresh while we have them .the arugula sure gives the salad a nice flavor and chopped some fresh for some chicken stew topping awhile back . love that stuff . thanks for the extra seeds . sally
Laurel,
I understand White County got LOTS of rain last night, so apparently you have found the right rain dance by the right person (take care of that DH of yours!). We got over 6 inches last night and our pond is now overly full...My horses were out in it and were very happy to come into the barn this morning!
So keep up those rain dances...maybe you can fill up Lake Lanier!!!!
Sue
We got 25 inches over the weekend and today some more. My backyard looks like a war zone. No hugh trees but lots of limbs and leaves. Thank you Lord for the rain, but I wish it didn't come in buckets all at one time. Elaine
Elaine, so sorry to hear you've been deluged. I had heard parts of Fla. got rain like that but didn't realize your area did too. Hopefully your house was spared and your plants will take a nice long drink and then recover! We have gotten a nice respectable 2", very needed.
This was the most rain we have gotten in a 21/2 day period. We are still going to get more rain but not so much. I am thankful for it as we were really dry.
A little East of you, Elaine, we've had some rain - not a huge amount but we are grateful for every drop.
Got over a foot here last night! Were slogging around. The pond looks entirely different and so does the garden. Picked okra, collards and butter peas in the late morning. Got my starts in and then it rained again this afternoon.
Sue, we have to be careful with that rain stick or we might need to build an ark. The four foot hole for the new chimney footing is filled with water because it's at the roof drip line. The mason is going to have a hemorrhage when he comes here and sees he has to spend the day bailing water and shoveling mud.
Laurel
Laurel, you hit the jackpot. We just got a couple of inches (but we're grateful).
I recommend easing the mason's pain with food. When we were living through hell, I mean construction, while I had an oven, I frequently made brownies to keep the troops happy (and hopefully showing up to finish....on second thought, it didn't work that well. Still took a year).
You may have to send DH out on the road peddling his dancing. It worked! :)
Hi there, Pam. We got another dousing this afternoon while coming home from an outing. The culverts and ditches looked like running creeks all over the area. The Chattahoochee is roaring. I emptied measuring containers before we left and there were several inches in each when we got back.
I'm with you Elaine. Didn't want a month's rain coming in one day. We are supposed to be getting lots more tonight. With the ground this wet, this deep, I am more optimistic about the Fall garden. Now back to worrying about bugs and deer.
Sally, I hear you, but I've tried freezing every which way. Considering Dad was in the wholesale produce business and food processing and Mom ran hotel and restaurant kitchens, it just ruined me for produce that's not fresh. So glad you're loving the arugula. I used it as a green in chicken and sausage gumbo the other night.
Laurel
This message was edited Aug 25, 2008 11:01 PM
nothing equals fresh , for sure . arugula was sure good in steak and chicken stew earlier tonight . cheese in cornbread made it a meal . hugs all , sally
Rained here starting Saturday about midmorning and then off and on most of the time since. The most rain we have had in many years. It rained really hard for about an hour today, I mean a deluge. My socks were mildewed Sunday from all the rain and now my shorts are mildewed also.
Rain here Sat, Sunday and again today and tonight. Wonderful.
sorry you got so much at one time. Ours has been showers, stops, then rains again.
the mention of arugula reminds me that I need to plant some more mesclun mix. I think it has arugula in it also. I think since we are having such a mild August that it can be planted again now.
The other Elaine.
Yes, the mesclun mixes usually have arugula. The seed pods are prominent and very easy to save. They do get tiny bugs, so I freeze them for a few days after I collect them. Those are to share, but I just pop the seed heads and rake the ones in the garden in and a few days later they are sprouting. We seem to have it in every perpetual stage of development all year during these last mild winters. I've been growing it for five years and only remember one winter where we did not have it for a few months. As spicy, nutty and hot as it can be raw, it's as bland as spinach when cooked.
Laurel
Laurel,
You can stop rain dancing now and start on that ark...I think we have gotten at least 18 inches already and it is STILL raining! I'll bet those people on Lake Lanier are jumping for joy!!!
Sue
