The folks at the Dirt Du Jour page remind us here in Northern California that it's time to prep the garden for the first big storm of 2011. And the National Weather Service, along with their highly-caffeinated, ALL CAPS style, chime in:...WINTER-LIKE WEATHER SYSTEM TO BRING WET AND BREEZY WEATHER MID
WEEK...
A STRONG FOR THE SEASON COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL SPREAD
PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT GUSTY
SOUTHERLY WINDS WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO 15 TO 25 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL.
* RAINFALL TOTALS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM ONE QUARTER INCH TO THREE
QUARTERS OF AN INCH OVER THE VALLEY AND ONE TO 2 INCHES OVER THE
WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
* WIND GUSTS OF 15 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN THE VALLEY AND LOWER
FOOTHILLS WITH GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR HIGHER OVER HIGHER MOUNTAIN
ELEVATIONS.
* ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON IN THE
CENTRAL VALLEY.
And yes, we are weather weenies here in Northern California. Please bear with us as we...
Get Ready for the First Big Storm of Autumn!
A
checklist:
 |
| Hey, It Works. |
• Secure, cover or remove
patio furniture, bbq.
•
Remove pads and umbrellas.
• Add compost to garden bed. Let the rains move it downward.
• Add compost to garden bed. Let the rains move it downward.
•
Move plant starts to a safe area.
 |
| Ugly, but functional. |
• Add gutter extensions.
• To fertilize or not fertilize the lawn before a predicted
rainstorm? Pros: fertilizer will be worked into the soil
effortlessly. Cons: heavy rain could wash fertilizer off a lawn,
especially if it is sloped, into the gutter. Synthetic chemicals in lawn
fertilizers can damage creek life. Using organic fertilizer is one
possible solution. Still, runoff from that can cause problems, as well.
Do you feel lucky?
• Remove diseased, dying plants and fallen fruit. Rainfall can spread harmful fungal diseases.
• Low spots? Mark those overly wet areas with a stick and take action after the storm (see below for more).
• Turn off the automatic sprinklers. Reset after the storm or just water manually, as needed, between storms.
• Remove diseased, dying plants and fallen fruit. Rainfall can spread harmful fungal diseases.
• Low spots? Mark those overly wet areas with a stick and take action after the storm (see below for more).
• Turn off the automatic sprinklers. Reset after the storm or just water manually, as needed, between storms.
 |
| Keeps the Aphids Out, Too |
• Protect new plants in
the ground with row covers. Heavy rain could uproot seedlings. Row
covers will disperse that action.
• Move tools indoors. Cover or move lawn mowers, tillers, etc.
• Move tools indoors. Cover or move lawn mowers, tillers, etc.
•
Turn over buckets, pots, etc. to keep mosquitoes from breeding.
• Do
you use a sump pump during the winter to move water from unwanted
areas, such as pool covers? Make sure it is working!
• The first storm of the season means downed tree limbs.
• The first storm of the season means downed tree limbs.
•
Does your generator work?
 |
| Do You Feel Lucky, Persimmons? |
• Harvest heavy fruit (apples!) to
keep branches from breaking. Pray for your unripe persimmons.
• Cover or move any harvested crops.
• Cover or move any harvested crops.
•
Harvest whatever might rot from too much water, such as walnuts or
popcorn.
• Do you have a covered area to feed outdoor pets?
• Do you have a covered area to feed outdoor pets?
• Do you have a shelter
for your outdoor pets?
• Empty pool filters. The first batch of storm-driven leaves are on the way!
• Cover the pool and spa to keep debris out.
• Secure the spa cover. They will blow open!
• Empty pool filters. The first batch of storm-driven leaves are on the way!
• Cover the pool and spa to keep debris out.
• Secure the spa cover. They will blow open!
• The combination of
leaf-heavy trees and storms means a high possibility of large branches
falling. Move your valuables out of harm's way, including your
vehicles.
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| Easy Entry for Possums! |
•
Clean roof gutters before the storm.
For Overly Wet
Areas After the Storm (and after the soil has dried a bit):
* Dig a sump. A hole that is dug in the lowest portion of your yard, a hole that penetrates through all the layers of hardpan (usually 2-4 feet below the surface), can help drain away stormwater. Line the hole with a non-porous material (hard plastic sheeting, for example) to keep the surrounding dirt from falling back into the hole. Fill the hole with small rocks, about one inch in diameter.
* If it's the lawn area that's flooding, dig a trench and lay a drain line in the lowest area of the lawn. Don't do any digging immediately after a heavy rain, though; wait until the soil dries enough to avoid unnecessary soil compaction.
Be sure to slope the drain pipe,
allowing at least a one foot drop for each 100 feet of length (one
quarter-inch per foot). Dig backwards from where the water will exit the
pipe, trenching back towards the source of flooding to help determine
how deep to lay the drain pipe. Line the trench with a few inches of
gravel, both above and below the pipe. For a lawn area, try to lay the
pipe at least two feet below the surface.
* If it's the garden bed that's flooding, consider building raised beds this fall, lining the bed with 2X8, 2X10 or 2X12 redwood planks. Capping off the top of these boards with 2X6 redwood will give you a comfortable place to sit while harvesting vegetables and pulling weeds.
* If you haven't planted in a flooded area yet, consider creating mounds first, planting trees and shrubs on the top of the mounds.
* If you're still stuck with pools of standing water after heavy rains despite your best efforts, consider planting trees and shrubs that can take "wet feet". Water-tolerant trees for our area include birch, sweet gum, magnolia, tupelo and coast redwoods. Shrubs for wet areas include thuja and red twig dogwood.
* Dig a sump. A hole that is dug in the lowest portion of your yard, a hole that penetrates through all the layers of hardpan (usually 2-4 feet below the surface), can help drain away stormwater. Line the hole with a non-porous material (hard plastic sheeting, for example) to keep the surrounding dirt from falling back into the hole. Fill the hole with small rocks, about one inch in diameter.
* If it's the lawn area that's flooding, dig a trench and lay a drain line in the lowest area of the lawn. Don't do any digging immediately after a heavy rain, though; wait until the soil dries enough to avoid unnecessary soil compaction.
Be sure to slope the drain pipe,
allowing at least a one foot drop for each 100 feet of length (one
quarter-inch per foot). Dig backwards from where the water will exit the
pipe, trenching back towards the source of flooding to help determine
how deep to lay the drain pipe. Line the trench with a few inches of
gravel, both above and below the pipe. For a lawn area, try to lay the
pipe at least two feet below the surface.* If it's the garden bed that's flooding, consider building raised beds this fall, lining the bed with 2X8, 2X10 or 2X12 redwood planks. Capping off the top of these boards with 2X6 redwood will give you a comfortable place to sit while harvesting vegetables and pulling weeds.
* If you haven't planted in a flooded area yet, consider creating mounds first, planting trees and shrubs on the top of the mounds.
* If you're still stuck with pools of standing water after heavy rains despite your best efforts, consider planting trees and shrubs that can take "wet feet". Water-tolerant trees for our area include birch, sweet gum, magnolia, tupelo and coast redwoods. Shrubs for wet areas include thuja and red twig dogwood.
Bring it on!
ReplyDelete"a hole that penetrates through all the layers of hardpan" - I had to laugh when I saw this. We live in Roseville & are convinced the hardpan goes all the way to Earth's core here. Hubby once dug a hole six feet deep in an attempt to get through all the hardpan. After two years of soaking the soil to soften & remove the top inch, he gave up.
ReplyDeleteAs for rain, I'm with Maybelline - bring it !