What a joy! There has been a nice steady rain all day long - the kind of flow that sinks so well into our catchment basins. If only our photos could capture that. Rainwater streams from the roof into gutters where the downspout directs it into the jujube basin (shown above.) The leaves and palm frond pieces create a layer of natural mulch that (along with some native grass) hold the water like a sponge to nourish the soil.
Again, this photo doesn't do the basin justice, but this is how the front yard basin looks after raining all day long. It has sunk in beautifully.
The front yard basin continues to sink in and store water for our native plants and trees - long after our largest cistern fills up and overflows.
In case you're wondering why the cistern overflows onto the patio (rather than to another basin which is the best practice), it is because the water from the patio flows into our Mexican Honeysuckle plants (shown in the background.)
We have been meaning to get a truck full of Tank's Green Stuff organic mulch to replace the mulch that is breaking down. Here you can see how we leave the leaves to build the soil.
Sure, our winter basin may not look as green as it did when the trees were full of leaves, but I still #lovemyrainbasin as it continues to feed the soil and give a habitat to native bees and other pollinators.
For move information on our basins, go to:
I would love to see your basins too. Please, post them on your social media page with the hashtag #lovemyrainbasin
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