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Keeping Track

May 2nd, 2013

I’ve never really had a real rain gauge in the garden. One was purchased a long time ago, but it broke quickly. Typically a straight sided bowl was how I kept track (usually the dog bowl). I really wanted to buy a beautiful Jeffersonian rain gauge, but they’re rather pricey and I’d rather spend my garden funds on compost.
rain gauge
Last time I ordered from Johnny’s, I added a three dollar rain gauge to my order. Now I can tell how much rain we’ve gotten. It’s been a dry spring here, so I’ve only been able to read and empty it twice. Nonetheless, I’m looking forwarding to monitoring how much rain we get this year.

Do you have a rain gauge in your garden?

10 Comments to “Keeping Track”
  1. Jennifer Fisk on May 2, 2013 at 6:32 am

    I’ve never had a rain guage but it would be fun. Usually in Maine, the question is not have we had enough rain but when is it going to stop. Hope this June isn’t one of “those”.

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  2. Lemongrass on May 2, 2013 at 7:20 am

    I have used one that I made as a school project. An empty plastic bottle that I marked with coloured painted dots every half inch to the top of the bottle. Works well and the kids were excited about. We are entering the rainy season here in the Caribbean, and your topic reminds me to pull mine out..

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  3. BJ on May 2, 2013 at 9:11 am

    I have heard that one inch of rain equals one foot of snow!

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  4. Katherine on May 2, 2013 at 9:22 am

    I have several. One of my kids got me my first, then our electric company started giving them out every couple of years at their annual meeting. Along with a few other things, all in a handy 2 gallon pail. I love those pails!

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  5. Elyse on May 2, 2013 at 9:35 am

    Not yet, but I want one, and the hubs is interested in putting up a weather station, so I think it will come eventually!

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  6. amy on May 2, 2013 at 11:45 am

    Yes…actually…one identical to yours:) My problem has always been to remember to put them away before a freeze…..I have had to buy several:)

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  7. Crinia on May 2, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    Yes we do. We got a whole 6mm for the month of April. Not enough for vegie growing.

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  8. KimH on May 2, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    Yep, I have a pretty copper colored & glass rain gauge in my back yard.. It was inexpensive.. I think I got it at Marc’s in their seasonal stuff.. You know how it is.. Some cool stuff mixed in with ick.. Its been a while since I’ve been there.. I should probably go check out their garden stuff if they have any left.. I’ve gotten some cool stuff there in years past..

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  9. Maybelline on May 2, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    What’s rain? – from the dusty gardens in Bakersfield.

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  10. AmyS on May 3, 2013 at 10:31 pm

    I have always enjoyed having a rain gauge but the dogs often break them. This year has been an extremely wet spring. Just today we’ve had 1.8 inches of rain and just a couple of weeks ago 5.2 inches. It’s crazy after having a terrible drought last year. What amazes me how the rainfall can be different from our home to my sister’s home just 5 miles away.

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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