I think a decent rain gauge would be a very useful gardening tool. I
plan to put one right where my irrigation system (soaker hoses) begin.
With the rain gauge, I can keep a log of the rain we get each week and
determine how long to water my vegetables using the soaker hoses. I'd
like to see my garden have between 1" to 1 1/2" of water a week. I not
a very experienced gardener but I want to try and do it the right way.
I been putting a lot of money into equipment and doing all the research
I can on every aspect of home vegetable gardening. My neighbors on both
sides of my property also have vegetable gardens BUT they are unwilling
to invest hardly any money or time in their gardens. It sure does have
a negative effect on the crops they grow! I had the one neighbor coming
over to my house last summer asking if he could buy a few tomatoes from
me. He put out a dozen tomato plants of his own for just him and his
wife. I said: NO, you can't buy any but just help yourself to all you
want! I'm a very firm believer that you only get out of anything in
life what your willing to invest in it. If your going to have a garden,
then invest time and money in it and do it the right way. I'm in this
fine discuss group because I'm quite new to gardening but I want to
learn from others and enjoy getting their opinions on all aspects of
gardening Thanks for sharing your experience with soaker hoses.

Happy Gardening............ Rich

I like this a lot.
\
Bill

Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA


I truly liked this post as well and am now going to purchase a
good rain gauge. The lay out of my yard/gardens requires
sprinklers. In the past I have tried to visually decide how much
was enough. With a gauge, I'll know exactly how much water
my yard n flower n berry beds are gettting.

Automatic sprinklers are on a timer (a timer is what makes them
automatic), don't need any stinkin' rain gauge... folks with an
automatic sprinkler system use a rain sensor gauge, a simple
inexpensive gizmo wired to the sprinkler timer that detects a preset
amount of rain fall that when reached will prevent the sprinkers from
sprinkling. With manual sprinkers that one moves about the most
accurate rain gauge for detecting the correct wetness for a particular
area is to give it the "finger". Decide now, yoose wanna be the Jolly
Green Giant or you wanna be Big Al Roker. LOL

my land is all of 75' x 100' and I utilize every inch of it. It's just me
these days but I sure won't turn down anyone wanting to install
automatic sprinkers and fancy timers! Watering by eye can be
rewarding in many ways....it keeps me close to Mother Earth and
I can see what needs more of this and less of that. And I've
always wanted a rain gauge and by golly I'm gonna get one!

I know what I want to be LOL so I think it's you who needs to
decide who you are.

Donna
in WA
zone 8-9
with a whole week of 28 degrees in the morning and close to 60
degrees come closing time. Flowers will just have to wait before
they get outside.....then they can take root on one end as the other
end is stretching with all it's might to reach the Son. Kinda like
some of us'ns.