Rain Gauge In Garden

[EVP MAN]

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

[Bill who putters]

I like this a lot.

Bill

[David Hare-Scott]

Before you buy check the maximum capacity of the commercial models and compare to the maximum rainfall event you are likely to get in 24 hours. Some cheapo units only hold 30-50 mls (1 1/2 to 2 in) which can fall in an hour or two, or in some places a few minutes. You don't want to be faced with choice of wildly inaccurate figures or going out in the rain to empty the gauge.

Also allow for evapotranspiration in your irrigation figuring. A cool overcast week is much different to a sunny week of hot dry winds.

David

[EVP MAN]

The gauge I'm getting will handle 5" of rain. That should work pretty well for me here in PA. I plan to keep a daily log and make sure the gauge is empty at the start of each day. Or at least make sure I empty it the same time every day. I like the digital gauges but I'm not sure how well or for how long they may work before problems arise. So, with that being said, I decided to keep it simple and just go with the good old time tested model that you still need to empty by hand. No batteries to buy or replace either :)

Rich

[Lelandite]

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.

Donna in WA Zone 8-9

[brooklyn1]

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

[EVP MAN]

Yep, a straight sided cup would work fine also. You could even use a ruler to measure the amount of rain in the cup if you needed a real accurate measurement. I was aware of using a cup like you mention and even thought about it. The fact is, it's not only my legs that are bad, my eyes aren't much better either. I call it old age.......LOL The rain gauge I bought is large at 13" high and it also magnifies when it has water in it with nice big numbers. Hopefully this should serve me well in the garden.

Rich

[<balvenieman]

I agree. I have a high quality glass-not-plastic 5" rain guage in my garden as well as a high-low recording thermometer (on a stake so that it's mobile), as well as (on hand) one of those "instant" reading meat thermometers for measuring soil temperature to a depth of 6". It may seem too obvious to mention but, if you actually put the rain guage in your planting bed, be certain that it is not under foliage, which can distort the results. Don't even ask me how I know about that... Mine are old-fashioned mechanical devices; as a general rule, I avoid appliances that require batteries or other sources of power. Gratuitous Aside: You may be able to find historical weather data for your region here:

[Bill who putters]

last 12 hours. Can also see what happened in the last 24 or week and it self empties. Wireless and when the lows are 40 ish I'll crank it up. Kewl...

Bill

[FarmI]

Rain gauges aren't only used for figuring out how often to water a garden. In fact I'd say that I've never known any gardner round here who uses their rrain gauge in determing how often they water their garden beds.

We use a rain guage to record rainfall so that we have accurate annual records for if/when we sell our farms. Buyers ask for that sort of information because it determines grazing. Additionally we also like to know how we're going in terms of rainfall by seasons and to compare it to long term averages. I think there is more benefit in knowing if you've had a dry or wet some over time so that you can figure out why particular crops did well or not so well.

Artifical watering is also not the equivalent of rainfall in terms of production so knowing what fell from the sky as opposed to knowing what came from a tap is also part of that do well/rotten yield scenario.

[David Hare-Scott]

Besides if you know how much rain fell last night you always have something to say when you meet strangers.

D

[<balvenieman]

Man, my failure rate with those technological marvels is so dismal that I just gave up. Don't even wear a 'lectric watch.

[Lelandite]

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.

[Lelandite]

Well, I guess I'll LOL right along with you, Rich, as age has taken it's toll on my eyes as well.

I find it amazing the conversations on the top topic of "rain gauges" .

There are many weather station that would more then welcome any daily/weekly measurement you obtain from your home. That's how "they" learn what's changing out there when it comes to the weather. And I'm sure they wouldn't take any measurements gathered by a cup.

Donna in WA zoning is area 8-9 :)

[brooklyn1]

How many inches of rain has already fallen may be an interesting bit of trivia but has absolutely no value for gardening... far more important is how much moisture is contained in ones soil... a soil moistness sensor is a much more useful/practical device. Thre are many in all price ranges... this thingie looks interesting:

[FarmI]

Heavens no - strangers are only interesting for an out of district perspective!

Any drop of rain is always the first point of discussion with friends and aquaintances in the village. As you'd know given the intermittent rainfall we've been subject to these past years, everyone wants to know how they scored in the rainfall lottery. Even half a km in ground distance can mean a huge difference in the amount that arrives on the soil and we're in a rural cattle/sheep/horse area so you would understand the fascination.

[Bill who putters]

What

[David Hare-Scott]

It must be very comforting to live in such a familiar little place where one can be so certain of everything that one can make ex cathedra declarations. What of those who live somewhere else? There are climates, soils and people's circumstances that you know nothing of so how about allowing that there can be different approaches to a problem.

David