Finally a MASSIVE DOWNPOUR (the biggest drought seen in decades)
Added 2024-07-14 12:17:51 +0000 UTCINEVITABLY 😂 the rains finally came. Some local farmers say this is the biggest drought in 100 years. Crazy to have such a big rain in July. Seems like the seasons are changing in recent years. El Niño began in June last year and ended in March this year. It occurs every 2 to 7 years and alters the world climate. So hopefully our yearly downpours are back.
Robbie captures some amazing footage of the rain on our land, and some very exciting things happened on our pond! We also ask for your advice about how we should store water in future given the varying climate. We show you a glimpse at the gigantic water tank we’ve bought, and our plans for a rainwater harvesting system which should allow us to become independent from our spring, incase it were to run dry in coming years.
We know it looks like we’re losing our minds a bit in this update, but because we are fully off-grid we have no access to water other than our spring and the yearly rains. And with hundreds of newly planted trees and vegetables in the ground, without a big rain this year we could lose all of it! We never knew leaving our city lives behind we’d pray for the rains so passionately, it gives us the feeling of what our ancestors had when they needed a good harvest to feed their families. It is a very humbling experience. And it’s nice to feel so connected with nature.
Comments
Thank you so much for your comment and support Max! You're making our dream a reality! So great to hear you're enjoying our videos, we pour our heart and soul into each one! You're absolutely right, everyday certainly comes with challenges - we spent a lot of this week trying to find the water leak in our new reed bed, it has been losing a lot of water, but eventually we found out that in 35+ degree temperatures you can lose up to 5cm/ day from a pond, we had absolutely no idea it was that much... so problem solved haha! No more looking for leaks. Evaporation is going to be our arch nemesis going forwards and we need to find a solution! ❤️
Emilia Fenton
2024-08-11 09:35:23 +0000 UTCHey) It is an amazing story till now. I love it to watch. Well, not every day is easy at the ranch, but i know it´s absolutely worth it to move on. Thx for sharing your life with us )))
Max Mustermann
2024-08-01 17:42:56 +0000 UTCThanks Harriet! Yes that's a good point that the UV will damage the pond if there is no water in it. It seems like evaporation is a problem with these open ponds with liners as well, because you can't plant trees too near the edges for shade. For sure storing it in the ground might be the best way long term, just need to catch it in swales so it doesn't all run away! We really hope our 100k litre tank design works, we did lots of research before buying it, and the company (Dendromon) have lots of tanks still in operation 20 years later, so that's definitely a good sign, the only thing that needs replacing is the cover of the top which gets degraded by the sun every 15 years or so. Thanks for your advice ❤️
Emilia Fenton
2024-07-15 11:59:57 +0000 UTCYou are right to avoid the plastic liner, especially if the pond will likely be empty at any point. It will degrade in the sun if not covered by water, I’ve seen it happen here many times. I don’t know what the best cost effective solution is apart from trying to get as much in the ground as possible when it rains and try and store it there 🤷♀️ I am sure if you can get your massive base built you’ll be sorted! Good luck x
Harriet Ryder
2024-07-14 16:48:45 +0000 UTC
