irrigation from rain barrels

The rain barrels are all up. Frost free date here is mid-May..or maybe not. Maybe frost free date is May 1. The USDA monitors the temperatures across the country, and became aware of a shift years ago. 3 or 4 years ago our area was moved to two entire weeks earlier than it has been for decades. We trust and believe the science..but are also still hesitant, having lived so long with the message of not ever planting until after mothers day. We put many seeds in the ground in late April/early May, and crossed fingers that the USDA is right. Worked this year!

The rain barrels have a valve that allows a switch to open or close the flow of water. Now that freezing temperatures are done until late fall, water can go into the rain barrels and then onto the garden beds. This one, planted with basil, is the first one. It is also a new bed..we have such great visitors this year that every bed is planted, every time we pull something out something else goes in..things are working as we hoped.