Good day, @homesteading family, and welcome to my blog today. It's a sunny afternoon here. How are we all doing?
It’s been over two weeks since I last saw a raindrop, even though the sky has gotten cloudy and threatened to rain a few times. The dry (or harmattan) season is gradually setting in, and the rains are finally gone.
I was hopeful we might still get one or two showers before now, but I guess my prediction was wrong. These days, the sun rises high and hot, and the afternoons are scorching. My last visit to the garden, about three days ago, revealed that even though most plants still had green leaves, their bases were becoming very dry, a clear sign that they need water.
Yesterday, Mummy and I decided it was time to resume watering the garden again, just as we always do during the dry season. I must admit, it was so lovely having a break from manual watering during the rainy months; the rain really made things easier.
One thing I love about the rainy season is how vibrant and full of life the plants appear. They’re always fresh, bouncy, and vibrant. They still look beautiful now, but not quite as lush as when the rains were constant. Honestly, I already miss the rains.
Yesterday, we performed manual watering by fetching water from the tap in buckets and carrying it to the garden. However, I know that won’t last long, as it’s pretty stressful.
Previously, we had a direct water hose connected to the same source that supplied our fish tanks, making watering easier. But since the tanks were moved to another part of the compound, we lost that connection. Though we now have more garden space, it came at the cost of convenience.
However, in the coming days, we plan to reconnect the hose to a closer water source to make watering easier. Honestly, that’s the only thing that can motivate me to keep up with daily watering until the rains return next year.
We’ll be watering for quite a long time, and one thing I’ve observed is that no matter how often you water, some plants simply thrive better during the rainy season.
For example, our scent leaf plants, they still produce leaves when watered, but their lushness during the rainy season is something else entirely. The difference is always so clear.
A few others, like cocoyam, lemon grass, and bitter leaves, do quite well even during the dry months. Last year, we enjoyed cocoyam and bitter leaves all through the seasons.
One plant that has completely gone with the rain, though, is the waterleaf. It’s now totally leafless, but the stems are still green and showing signs of life. With consistent watering, I’m hopeful it will bounce back. That plant is always a lifesaver when we need to prepare a quick vegetable meal.
Soon, I also plan to plant some pumpkin leaves, one of my favorite nutritious vegetables. So, we’ll keep watering faithfully until the rains return next year. It might be challenging, but we’ll make it fun. The kids always enjoy helping out in the garden, especially when there’s water to play with, and the house is set. Lol.
Cheers to a new watering season, LOL Thanks for stopping by today, and stay blessed