Rewilding My Lot

On August 22, 2023 we finally got about 0.5 inches of rain after at least seven weeks of drought and blistering heat. Not only did we need water badly, it was also a chance for me to see how rain behaves here after the modifications I have made (primarily the addition of two rain barrels). Earlier this year, when there was heavy rain, then water collected in low places or flowed off the property altogether, and soil was moved around.

When the rain finally arrived, I happened to be in a classroom with 15 other naturalists. The presentation had to be stopped as we gratefully looked out of the window for a few minutes.

Good things that happened:

• Both 55-gallon rain barrels are now full. This will supply most of my watering needs for at least a month.
• There was enough rain to provide a deep watering, better than I have been doing manually.

Challenges that still need to be tackled:

• The soil here is not very absorbent, and water flowed across the surface more than I would like. I hope that as more plants are placed in the ground here, and as the soil becomes healthier (with more organic matter), then more water will soak into the soil and be held there.
• Erosion is worst on the south side of the property, and I sadly watched water and soil being washed over my little border wall. That may happen less when the next-door lot has been turfed — at the moment our land is a couple of inches higher than the building site next-door.
• I’m going to have to think more about how to manage water flow on this property, especially as I am planning major seed planting projects in the fall. If this rain event had happened soon after planting seeds, then I would probably have lost them like I did the last time this happened.