
Last week we received over 4” of rain in 2 days, which is a lot of rain! As I was cleaning up a little river running accross our basement floor (nothing like a good drenching to let you know the power washing last summer for your house paint job removed some much needed concrete patch along the driveway and house foundation, thank god that our basement floor is unfinished and slopped toward a drain)...anyway...I got to thinking about all the gardeners out there who would love to have a share of my rain-weath, and how much I would love to share it with them. So I started thinking "what if"...
What if you could magically garden in your version of the perfect climate? What would your average summer highs be? Your winter lows?

How much annual rainfall would you receive, and when would it fall? What would your gardens ratio of full sun/part sun and shade be? And…how big would your garden be?
Fun to think about isn’t it? Yes…this is pure child-like silliness.
My answers…
Summer highs: this is a dream world so I’d like to see summer highs in the 80’s with very low humidity and a lot of sun. There would be approximately 15 days in the summer months (June, July, and August) with highs in the 90’s and half of those would be over 100. As I said there would be low humidity and of course my home would have excellent and efficient air conditioning and it would cool off outdoors at night for perfect sleeping with the windows open. Spring and fall would be long seasons with tons of glorious sunny 75 degree days.
Winter lows: a nighttime low of 25 would be thought of as obscene, but they may occasionally happen, like every few years, just to keep things interesting. A dusting of snow is a pretty sight…but it shouldn’t stick around too long as to wear out its welcome, and we’d have none of that wet heavy snow that breaks branches. Lows in the mid 30’s would be the usual extreme.
What USDA Zone: 9 leaning toward a 10.
Annual rainfall: let’s go with 23”…Portland, OR, typically gets about 37,” Santa Barbara, CA, 15” and Phoenix, AZ, only 8”… San Francisco, CA, 22”
When would it fall: More in the winter, with an occasional summer shower to freshen things up.
What ratio of full sun/part sun and shade: full sun 45%, part sun 35%, shade 20%
How big: Our current lot is 45.38’ x 111.2’…I suppose ideally I would like double that. Then I’d have a lot more room for trees, while still allowing for full sun spots. There would be a great (out of the way) area for composting, a dedicated vegetable garden (rather than just stock tanks in the drive way) and even room for a greenhouse.
Your turn!