The Robogarden
Fort Wayne Indiana
Weather Information
Prevailing Winds West/Southwest
Last Spring Frost May 1st
First Fall Frost October 16th
Growing Season 167 days
Average Rainfall and Historic Weather Events
Fort Wayne averages about 38.1 inches of rainfall annually, placing it among the driest areas in Indiana. This location is slightly above any historical high-water marks. However, infrastructure failure could be an issue. Back-up sumps recommended.
Historical Flooding in the area: The earliest recorded flood in the Three Rivers area was in 1790. The 1913 flood recorded the worst to date. Affecting not just Fort Wayne, Indiana, but a large area of the Midwest. The storms that caused the floods in 1913 persisted for several days and produced record-breaking rainfall. It remains Ohio’s “largest weather disaster” and triggered Indiana’s worst flood on record. Storm-related Flooding affected more than a dozen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. The same weather system caused significant tornadoes in the Great Plains, the South, and the Midwest, most notably in Omaha, Nebraska; Lone Peach, Arkansas; and Terre Haute, Indiana.
Soil Conditions and Elevation
Fertile, thin organic topsoil to stony clay, a glacial drift. Heavy suburban construction disturbances mix the original substrate with imported soils and debris and are compacted during their lifespan as a lawn.
Elevations have been determined in this case by “eye” (using photos from the Homeowner, Google Earth Street View, and satellite imagery during the dry season).
A very typical suburban “get water away from the house” landscape on flatland. The home is the highest elevation on the plot. The elder trees spared during construction create high elevations around their root structures.
The lowest areas are depressions in the soil from the original excavation and shallow ditches between homes that expedite water to the city drains. In some areas, structures that once stood have been removed, creating low, soggy turf during the spring melt and heavy rainfall.
The topography is best suited to passive water-sequestration tactics. Garden placement and hardscape on this relatively flat land can channel and slow sheet flow during rain events, thereby conserving and directing water where it is needed. Keeping water as high in the landscape as possible for as long as possible.
Images from the Homeowner
