Harvesting the Rain

Water is wonderful. It calms, it cools, it cooks, and nothing tastes better after working in the sun. The sky faucet has been turned on often enough this April that FH King has had to postpone breaking ground and planting the first of our vegetables, but that is okay--rain is fun to watch and listen, and promises a fertile season ahead.

Rain does not have to stop once the sun shines, though. This past March at the garden, we installed a 50 gallon rain barrel along the southern face of our hoophouse to catch the water as it trails off the side, making it our permanent little thundercloud. The rain barrel can catch enough rain to fill itself up after only a 1/4" rainstorm, so after last week's wetness the barrel rests full to the brim, allowing us to irrigate the broccoli, carrots, turnips and spinach currently growing in the hoophouse.Purchased from Sustain Dane, the rain barrel comes with fittings that can be attached to the gutter system on most homes and provides a free source of water for weeks. FH King has another on its way, soon to be added to the northern side of our hoophouse, hopefully minimizing water-runoff and erosion around the base. Be sure to check it out at the garden this season!

"The cloud is free only to go with the wind. The rain is free only in falling."

-Mr. Wendell Berry