11 Ways To Take Advantage Of The Rain For Your Garden

pelting is nature ’s most generous gift to gardener , present free , soft water system that nourishes antecedent , washes away rubble , and refill the soil ’s moisture reserves . I know how frustrating it is when you haul hosepipe around only to earn that a light-colored shower just did the line of work ! By embracing and directing rainfall , you may reduce your water bills , promote works wellness , and even produce vibrant microhabitats for good wildlife .

Whether you ’re dealing with a torrent or a gentle mist , there are countless strategy to enamour , duct , and leverage every drop . From install pelting barrels to planting wet - have a go at it indigene , each approach path comes with its own ecological perks — like attract frog that snack on biff or ask for hoverflies that predate on aphids . Ready to work showery days into garden winnings ? Let ’s dive into a eleven actionable way to make the most of the showers !

Encourage Amphibians and Beneficial Wildlife

Creating minuscule , shallow puddle or a mini - pond where rain collect invites anuran , toads , and dragonflies into your garden . Frogs ( for example , the native American Rana catesbeiana ) have sex to draw close near water supply , and their tadpoles facilitate keep mosquito larvae in check . By influence a down point in your yard or sinking a waterproof container into the territory , you foster a living pest - dominance team that thrive on showery days !

One of my favorite weekend projection is carving out a shallow basin and describe it with pond - safe clay — no charge card ! As rain fill up the basinful , you ’ll fleck darting damselflies and hear the even chorus line of tree frogs . It ’s such a kickshaw to watch these amphibians take up manse , and roll in the hay they ’re munch garden pest makes every rain feel like a winnings .

Build a Rain Garden

A rain garden is a shallow depression found with weewee - broad mintage that hook up runoff from roofs and drive . By pick out aboriginal flora like swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata ) , which herald from North America ’s wetlands and is n’t invasive , you create a vibrant , living filter that slows eating away and purifies water . The bass roots of these plants help rainfall inebriate into the earth rather than rushing away !

I once transformed a waterlogged corner of my yard into a prosperous rainwater garden , and within weeks I blemish nesting bees among the wampee ( Pontederia cordata ) , another native powerhouse . It ’s awe-inspiring how chop-chop wildlife discovers these mini - wetlands , turn what was once a miry post into a buzzing habitat of good insects and birds .

Harvest Rainwater with Barrels and Cisterns

set up rainwater barrels beneath your downspouts is a classical method acting of capturing soft , chlorine - free water for your plant . A 55 - gallon drumfish can supply dozens of waterings after a leaden cascade . I like to place mine near my herbaceous plant beds so I do n’t have to tug heavy lacrimation can — one twist of the spigot and basil , parsley , and marjoram get a bracing drink !

For bigger gardens , consider a water tank or multi - barrel system . Divert excess urine into these storage social unit , and you ’ll have reserve through summertime droughts . And fillip : a easy dribble into the barrelful attracts house sparrows and Spinus tristis , which often bath in the overflow tray — a charming spectacle and free blighter patrol .

Mulch to Retain Moisture

After a dear rainfall , overspread a two- to three - inch layer of constitutive mulch — like shredded bark or leaf cast — around your plants . Mulch slow up evaporation , whorl in wet from that rainfall , and regulates soil temperature . I love the earthy feeling of pine bark after a light drizzle ; it feel like the forest is helping me foster my veggies !

Beyond moisture retentivity , mulch offers concealment places for ground beetle and spiders that feast on punch and cutworms . These predators often place up nesting sites beneath the mulch , patrol your garden bed and turning showery night into prime hunting grounds .

Create Swales for Irrigation

Swales are shallow , story - bottomed ditches that adopt the land ’s contour , channeling rainwater easy through your landscape . By excavate a swale across a easy slope and planting along its edge , you allow for pee to seep into the soil rather than rushing downhill . swale can be lined with native sedge likeCarex vulpinoidea , which course fly high in North American pissed meadow and is non - invading .

I installed my first swale after watching a heavy violent storm chip at gullies in my flower bed — what a revelation ! Now , alternatively of erosion , I have a ego - watering berm lined with moisture - loving flowers like swamp aster , and even nesting toad have contract up residence in the damp soil .

Direct Seed After Showers

flaccid , rain - impregnate stain is the perfect medium for direct seeding hardy annuals and aboriginal wildflowers . Grab a mix of California poppies ( Eschscholzia californica ) , aboriginal to , well , California and known for not diffuse uncontrollably , and scatter them over moist reason . The seeds settle nicely and germinate quickly without extra watering !

I remember chuck seeded player of cover flower into my damp bottom one bounce — within a calendar week , midget green sprouts appear , and by summer I was marvel at hummingbird plunge into those bright blooms . It ’s such an loose style to turn rain into a shower of efflorescence .

Flush Soil Salts Naturally

If you live in an area with backbreaking tap water , salts can hoard in the grunge , hindering works growth . A hard rain acts like a natural leaching event , washing supererogatory salt below the root zone . After the rain arrest , stand the itch to water right away ; let the soil finish its redden cognitive operation , then top - apparel with compost to lock in moisture and nutrient .

I once battled yellowed tomato leave of absence from saline solution buildup — then a week of steady pelting revived them without a drop from my hose ! Those rescued plants went on to produce some of the juiciest fruit I ’ve taste .

Brew Nutrient-Rich Compost Tea

pick up rain in a bucketful , then use it to brew compost teatime . The mild acidity and microbic rankness of rain promote beneficial bacteria and fungi extract from compost . air out the intermixture for 24–48 hours , tense , and apply as a foliar spray or grease drench . Your soil food web will thank you !

It ’s such a pleasure to water my seedling with this golden - dark-brown philosophers' stone , experience they ’re getting a microbial feast . Plus , rain prevents chlorine from disrupting the delicate afternoon tea culture , leave to a stronger , healthier brewage .

Channel Downspouts into Planter Beds

rather of dumping roof overflow onto your lawn , redirect downspouts into your raised beds or container gardens . This antic ensures your edible get a steady provision of impudent rainwater , rich in nitrogen and modest in salts . A round-eyed elbow joint and gravel - filled trench can carry piss directly to thirsty root .

One of my pet belated - spring rains soaked my hemangioma simplex piece for loose — no hose required ! The plant perked up overnight , and within day I spotted flyspeck harvests peeping through their glossy leaves .

Use Rain Chains as Decorative Funnels

Rain chains replace unvarnished gutters with a serial of interconnected cup or connection , creating a elegant water feature . As pelting cascades down , it ’s fun to listen to the tinkle speech sound and observe the flow rate guide pee into cosmetic basins or barrels . Japanese - inspired copper rain chains , though not native here , add an elegant touch without peril of encroachment !

I install a bamboo - style chain of mountains last year , and guests always pause to look up to the performance . Meanwhile , I count the gallons collect and aspiration of how I ’ll use that flabby water on my Rosmarinus officinalis and sage .

Install French Drains for Excess Water

In areas prone to waterlogging , a French drain — a gravel - filled deep with a perforated tobacco pipe — can whisk away nimiety rainwater to a soakaway or dry well . This forestall root suffocation in grueling soils and hold pathway from turn into mud baths . fence in the waste pipe outlet with hardy ground cover like creeping thyme ( native to the Mediterranean and non - encroaching in most mood ) to soften its appearance .

After a torrential spring violent storm threatened to overwhelm my blueberry bush patch , I apprehend in a French drain . Now , even drenching rains persist off neatly , and I still enjoy the sight of bees nesting among those petite thyme flowers at the drain ’s boundary .

watering plants