Rain has returned!

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

~ John Updike

September has brought relief to the Harrison Ridge Greenbelt as the rain returns following a hot and dry summer. Just a few short weeks ago the friends of Harri were in a continual state of distress, worrying about how to water the young plants in the greenbelt.

The area of the greenbelt that was planted most recently we call Blackberry Hill. It’s a slope that is open and sunny, and when we started restoration work, the hill was covered with blackberry. But thanks to the work of volunteers, by late spring this year it was dotted with new ferns, Oregon grape, salal, vine maple, red-flowering currant, and other shrubs and some evergreen trees. As the dry season hit and we needed to water many of young plants, the horsetail was so high and thick you couldn’t see the plants. Several determined volunteers waded through the horsetail and planted bamboo poles with yellow flags to mark the spots.

As we all know, our typical dry Seattle summer was dryer and hotter than usual, and, making matters worse, up on Blackberry Hill there was no near-by water. So volunteer Greg strapped three rain barrels to a tree on the uphill side of the new plantings, and one of our neighbors allowed us to fill the barrels with a very long hose.

The water problem solved (thank you Tad & Company), the slope and the dryness of the summer led to such dry soil that watering was difficult. That problem was solved by poking holes in plastic containers and pinning them near the plants. The ever-patient Peter spent August and September filling cups, and all but two or three of the plants survived!

Interested in volunteering in the greenbelt? Join us!