November 8, 2010 After a year of recording my rain harvesting ventures on this blog, I will be moving the commentary over to the Aussie Rain Tanks Facebook page. Follow us on Facebook.
November 1 Time to pull up the Roma tomatoes but the beefsteak bush is still producing fruit. Not much rainfall for the early part of the season.
October 23 The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the first big storm of the 2010-2011 rainy season is due to hit the Bay Area this weekend. Last chance to clean out the rain gutters and the first flush diverters connected to your rain tanks.
October 21 Just used the last of the rainwater collected in the 205 Bushman tower tank back in May. It looks as though the winter rains are coming early this year so I am happy to use this chemical-free water on the potted plants and the fruit trees.
October 3 Now is a good time to conduct some maintence on the tanks. Clean out any conveyence gutters, hose down the outside of the tanks (I like the Windex all-purpose cleaner) and hose out the first flush diverter filter.
September 21 It's time to tap the 205 gallons that has been sitting in its tank since May. This Spring rainwater will be used to help nuture the growth of the fall plants. I've connected the battery operated timer to a 50 foot soaker hose that runs around the backyard. It should last for the next six weeks - just in time to start collecting the November rain.
September 15 Well the last of the rainwater from the 790 gallon tank was used today to water the tomato bushes. The water stored in this tank lasted just over four months! We have had some recent hot temperatures but generally this was a cooler than average summer in the Bay Area.
August 9 Just peaked inside the 205 gallon tower tank that has been sealed since early May and the water inside is fresh and clean. I still have enough in the large tank, so I'll conserve the 205 gallon for another month. That will be four months in storage!
August 2 The tomato bushes are producing a great crop - watered exclusively with winter rain. I took some vacation in July and left the tank connected to a battery operated timer. The plants were irrigated by drip even with the low pressure from the the tank. I still have about a third of the 790 gallon tank left. The stored water remains fresh and clean. It is now time for everyone to start planning their winter rain harvesting program.
July 16 What a wonderful feeling everytime I use water from the rain tanks - knowing that I am using water on my garden that fell on my roof several months ago.
June 26 Aussie Rain Tanks exhibited at the Garden Faire in Scotts Valley. It was great to talk to all those passionate about gardening and native flowers. "Rainwater on plants, what a great idea."
June 16 Congratulations to the Board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District for voting to maintain mandatory water conservation measures for this summer. SCVWD is the only Bay Area water agency to demand reductions from the public this year rather than asking for voluntary savings. This shows the District is more than aware of the fragile state of our water supply and was not intimitated by the water retailers, city agencies or media in pretending that all is well just because San Jose received 14% above average rainfall this year. Let's hope all the California water agencies add rain harvesting to their lists of water conservation practices.
May 21 More unseasonable patchy rain and cold for May - not enough to fill the tanks but enough to leave nature to water the garden once a week or so.
May 12 I am using a watering can from a 205 gallon tank for the side garden to encourage growth of newly planted drought resistant shrubs, Consuming about 20 gallons a week, I expect this tank to be dry by the end of June. Water from the 790 gallon slimline is dedicated to the fruit trees and tomatoes. I have fruit growing on the beef steak tomato bush already. The second 205 gallon tower tank in the backyard is sealed and will store the contents until mid-summer.
May 1 An incredible 3 inches of rain for April when the average is only one inch. A great end to the 'official' rainy season with the Bay Area receiving over 110% of an average year.
April 24 A great day exhibiting rain harvesting techniques to the crowd at the Water Wise Landscaping Conference, hosted by the Foothill College Environmental Horticulture Dept in Los Altos.
April 15 Even more rain expected so I am using the recently captured rain on the garden to encourage spring growth. The spring showers are recharging the tanks nicely. I am using rain overflow to wash out the trash cans, cleaning the car, washing down the tanks and even in the iron (just as good as distilled)!
April 5 Heavy and consistant rainfall from Easter Sunday afternoon to Monday resulted in all the tanks being refilled. We now have supplies for spring planting and summer!
April 3 March ended the month three quaters of an inch below the seasonal average anddespite the heavy new year rains, the season rainfall to date is right on average. This weeks storms dropped only a quarter of an inch in the South Bay and I am beginning to wonder if I let out too much stored water last week. More rain is forecast after Easter.
March 26 No heavy rain for two weeks and the ground is now drying out. Some people have been taken by surprise with the sudden lack of rainfall and the neighbors have started to irrigate their lawn. I have been using rain water on the potted plants, blossoming fruit trees and the tomatoes have taken well. Some light rain is forecast for next week and I am tempted to discharge some more water on the garden with the expectation of harvesting more in April. San Jose is about a third of an inch behind the average for this month to date and on average receives just over an inch in April.
March 21 Planted the tomatoes for the season and gave them a good soaking of stored rain water.
March 10 Good soaking rains have dropped just over an inch and a half. All tanks are now full and using the overflow. March is San Jose's third wettest month with an average of 2.69 inches of rain.
February 26, 2010 I have completed the coursework and passed the examination and am now an Accredited Professional with the American Rain Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA). ARCSA promotes rainwater catchment systems in the United States through educational opportunities and the exchange of information through their web site (arcsa.org) and through rain harvesting workshops. ARCSA membership consists of professionals working in city, state, and federal government, academia, manufacturers and suppliers of rainwater harvesting equipment, consultants, and other interested individuals.
February 25, 2010 The clear skies allowed us to complete a number of installations and the rain is due back for the weekend. I dscharged about 50 gallons by soaker hose onto the garden. We are making sure that the tank overflows are set to take the additional forecasted heavy rain.
February 11, 2010 The rainhas finally taken a break and most people in the Bay Area have had enough with the constant grey skies. San Jose has had an inch of rain so far this month, just on average but 10.64 inches so far this season, that's 1.6 inches over the normal season to date! We now have the Bushman 205 gallon tower tank on display at Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto.
January 21, 2010 The winter storms have hit with avengence in Northern California. We have had over 3 inches of rain recorded in San Jose this month and all my tanks are full. That's almost 800 gallons in the big tank and three separate Bushman 205 gallon tanks. I have collected 1,400 gallons or rainwater in the last few days! As the tanks are full I am making sure that the tank overflow pipes are flowing into the original downspout drains. I installed a 205 gallon tank in Palo Alto on Monday and it was full on Tuesday!
January 18. 2010 The recent earthquakes in Northern California centering on Eureka and in the disaster in Haiti emphasized the importance of having adequate supplies of clean drinking water. Storing water in plastic milk containers will not work. You need at least 2 gallons per person per day - so a family of four should store at least 50 gallons to last a week. The e-HOG is the best way to store 50 gallons of emergency drinking water. They are built tough, will not contaminate the water and with a height of only 10 inches, can be placed discreetly in the yard - just in case.
January 11, 2010 Still no heavy rainfall (officially only 0.01 inches in the last 13 days) so I have been using my rain tanks to discharge about 300 gallons on the trees and in the garden. I even used about 50 gallons to wash the car! A large storm is expected this week in the Bay Area with maybe almost one inch of rain. The tanks are ready to capture whatever mother nature provides.
January 5, 2010 No rainfall in sight so I am using the 575 gallons collected in December to water the potted plants and other plants in the garden. A heavy frost in mid December has burnt the leaves of some smaller plants and I am keeping water up to all the vegetation to assist it through this cold, dry weather.
December 31 Just over half an inch of rain over the last week. We will finish the last six months of 2009 with a little over the average rainfall for this San Jose season. With the grey skies, I had brought out an additional 200 gallon tank but heavier rainfall never eventuated and it sits empty.
December 13 An excellent article in the Sunday edition of the San Jose Mercury News about the Palo Alto rain harvesting education event. No more rain expected in the South Bay until mid-week.
December 12 A good wave of storms over the Bay Area has put San Jose December rainfall over the average for this time of year. I collected about 500 gallons.
December 7 Sustainable Silicon Valley hosted an excellent event at Moffat Field in Mountain View. The topic was Water Management - some great speakers and a good turn-out of representatives from government, business and interest groups.
December 5 Not a lot of rain has fallen and now the actual seasonal rainfall is equal to the average season to date.
November 19, 2009 It's been over a month since the last sizeable rainfall in the Bay Area but my plants are doing fine with the addition of 500 gallons of rainwater collected in October. The weatherman is predicting some rainfall tomorrow and I am prepared to top up the two tanks I have on site.
November 1, 2009 Another 100 gallon discharged on to the fruit and ornamental trees. A crop of steak tomatoes for the Sunday burgers tasted delicious and we'll probably sow another batch next weekend as the weather will remain unseasonably warm. Traditionally the winter rains start around Halloween but there is no sight of rain on the horizon - lucky we have another 300 gallons of rain water!
October 25, 2009 Discharged 200 gallons of rain water onto the garden this weekend. Deep soaked the fruit and ornamental trees. Although the Roma tomatoes have given up for the season there is still fruit ripening on the heirlooms, so some clean rainwater and continuing warm weather next week should see another harvest.
October 14, 2009 Wow! A major storm hit Northern California and produced a record 2.35 inches of rain in 24 hours for San Jose. My Bushman 205 gallon rain tank started to overflow after about 12 hours so I attached another 205 gallon tank to it and collected another 75 gallons. The 205 gallon tank has a catchment area of about 250 sq ft and uses a leaf separator from Rain Harvesting Australia). The RTI 790 gallon tank is now over half full and the first flush diverter did a great job at keeping the collected dirt in the gutters out of the tank. I'll start using this clean rainwater on the lemon tree that is just starting to bud fruit.
October 1 and 2, 2009 Helped the team from The Rainwater HOG promote their product at the West Coast Green Expo at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The Fall weather was beautiful and the Bay was a great backdrop to launch the eHOG - 50 gallons of emergency water storage sealed in a food-quality, UV resistant unit that does not puncture, warp or leach. To prove its strength, Simon and I sat on a unit and drank beer after the show. I now have an eHOG filled with drinking water next to my emergency kit at home - every family in an earthquake, tornado or flood zone should have at least one eHOG.
September 22, 2009 The first rainfall of the season produced almost a quarter of an inch in the San Jose area. A good test for the newly installed rain tanks and a reminder to clean out gutters, make sure that first flush diverters are filtering correctly and that hose connectors and faucets are shut.