Water-Saving Tips For The Garden

Gardens and lawns can use a lot of water during the summer growing months, especially in a drought. Saving water isn't just good for your wallet; it also is good practice for the environment. Water is a non-renewable resource. Sure, it seems like there is water everywhere (unless you're in the desert), but our water supply is finite. At some point, it will run out if we aren't careful and utilize water-saving methods.

Between the cost of water and the limited, potentially very finite availability, we do ourselves and the earth a favor when we take measures to conserve our use.

Top 5 Ways To Save Water

Mulch

Mulching your garden limits how much water evaporates from the soil. Mulch is a protective layer between the wet soil and the sun. It also has tons of other benefits, including reducing weed growth and improving the health of your soil. Learn more about mulching here.

Grasscycle The Lawn

When you mow, leave the grass clippings on the lawn. It acts like mulch in that it prevents water from being evaporated. It also adds nutrients back into the lawn – it's a win-win!

Don't Plant Water Thirsty Vegetables

This is a difficult one. Our favorite vegetables like lots of water, including tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. We can limit how many we plant, though, to reduce the demand for the water system. There are a lot of other vegetables to choose from, too, so it's not like you'd be giving up the garden entirely.

Use Better Irrigation Systems

When the lawn and garden sprinkler systems became popular, everybody thought that water was a limitless resource. If you have one of these or see how it works, you'll notice the crazy amount of water that is wasted. How often have you seen excess water running down sidewalks, down hillsides, and across roads as the sprinklers shoot water all over the place? These types of sprinklers really need to be banned.

Not only do the sprinklers waste water, but they also do not water well. Plants should not be watered from above – it causes the leaves to burn, and the water isn't getting to where it's needed in the soil.

Invest in a drip irrigation system for the best watering results. It's excellent for your plant's health, the ecosystem, and your pocketbook. You may dish out more money at first to set up the system, but you'll save in the long run. It's a great investment!

Plant Like-Minded Together

Planting water-needy plants together makes watering more efficient. If you interplant water-hungry plants with drought-tolerant ones, you'll have to water more often as you move the watering system to all the places it needs. Instead, plant the water-needy plants together so you can just focus on ensuring that one section of the garden or landscape gets enough water. Then, the other sections can be ignored or put on a different, less needy watering schedule.