Um, We Don't Have Any Burn Restrictions

[Catherine+twins]

My kids are 13 this summer, and they hardly remember a summer when we could just start a fire, even in the improved fire pit, at a camp ground. About half the time we couldn't even light up a propane camp stove! We have had drought conditions for like seven years, and standing live trees with a lower per cent moisture than the kiln-dried lumber at the lumber yards. (True!) When we joked that you could start a forest fire with a hot kiss or a smoldering look, it wasn't far off.

But we've had a very wet (by arid southwest measures) spring. Here in our local mountains we had half an inch more than the 20 year average in April, an inch more in May, and half an inch more in June. Then, just yesterday, we had about 0.75 here in my yard (only 0.19 at the official local reporting station).

I know, those of you in floody places aren't impressed by our piddling rain amounts, but they are very important to us. For example, I know that just over 0.1 inch will fill my rain barrels, and I can water my tomatoes and potatoes, downhill from those rain barrels, for a dry week on that amount.

Our old burn scars from the 2000 and 2011 fires are downright green! (Our 4th of July fireworks show in 2011 was watching the spot fires still burning on the mountain side above town after they let us back in from the multi-day evacuation.)

I'm sorry that southern California is burning up. But the weird weather patterns this summer are greening us here in the southern Rockies. I'm good with that!

Catherine

[Padilen]

Glad your getting the needed rain.

[noseoil]

Catherine, glad you're getting the rains over there! If you could spare a just a bit to the west, I could use some here in Tucson this summer. Our monsoon is up & running, but it seems to have been able to miss our place here in town each time there's some rain. We can watch it, see it & even smell it, but so far not anything to speak of here at the house. I just came back from the car wash (the real kind) so I'm hoping that works this weekend. It seems the storms just can't stand to see a shiny truck parked in the driveway. With my luck this year, we'll get a flock of birds instead & no rains....

Good that the forests are greening up finally. We had two years of back-to-back fires which took out our mountains north of town. There were some 800 year old fir trees which were destroyed, very sad, like losing old friends. Happy 4th!

[Catherine+twins]

Sorry noseoil, even though I tried to blow it your direction it hit us again this afternoon, 0.8 inch. I was digging a simple swale across my front yard slope (shove a shovel as deep as I can, wobble it back and forth to open a deep wedge, move a shovel-width to the right and do it again) when it started raining. Within minutes it was a downpour! I'll try to finish tomorrow, between showers.

Amazingly enough, we haven't had any real hail this year. Good thing, I have about 60 tomato plants in the garden for the first time in a long time! I got depressed after so many dry years, and have only had a couple of potted tomatoes under the eaves for the last couple of summers. Every since last fall, though, the long-range forecasts have said we were moving out of drought this summer, and I finally believed enough to start seeds in March. I have grown the same 6 varieties ever since I bought my house, guaranteed to ripen a few even in our short, cool summers, but this year I am trying 10 new varieties to find new colors and larger slicers instead of my little salad toms. I also put the bean spiral back in (pole beans growing on a spiral of concrete re-mesh, with a "secret garden" in the center). Yes, I still have to water occasionally, but it is SOOOOO much better than the last few years!!!! And last week I put in carrots and winter radishes for the fall garden.

Camping? Just overnight stuff in our local mountains. I have to work too many weekends!

Catherine

[GPW]

Have you tried self -wicking garden containers .... they really save on water usage and work Great in our HOT summers too ...

[Catherine+twins]

Have you tried self -wicking garden containers .... they really save on water usage and work Great in our HOT summers too ...

In fact, the few pots of tomatoes I have grown the past couple of years have been self-watering pots. The only way to go in dry weather (even if it is only HOT for a couple of weeks every summer here).

Catherine

[noseoil]

OK Catherine, it finally worked! Not sure if it was washing the truck yesterday or your help, but it finally rained today. I started on the wiring on the build & looked up to a large, black, nasty cloud moving in on the house. Went into high gear & started moving things inside in a hurry. Too Late! I had just started to grab one of the tarps when it cut loose.

Fortunately my wife was able to help me with things, as it was starting to blow a bit. She said it was just like being on a ship! The canopy was loading up with water on her side & then dumping it on her as the rain came streaming down in buckets. Wind gusts were said to be up to 50 mph. Our dry spell is broken for the summer now, so many thanks for sending the rain our way.

P.S. Glad your garden is doing so well. 60 tomato plants sounds like heaven to me.