Water is a truly precious resource. Getting smart with the way we water saves time and money while boosting plant health.
Watering at the right time, in the right place, using the right methods can make a big difference to how much water your garden needs.
In this short video we’ll share 10 tried-and-tested tips for saving water in the garden.
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We use ollas to water our garden. It's unglazed pottery we sink into the garden and fill up with water every few days. The water seeps slowly out to water the roots
I thought if you used the pulled up weeds, the roots will grow back?
I recycle grey water from shower and washing machine into buckets with holes that are slightly sucken into the soil. Also, I mulch heavily, first with layers of newspaper and then on top of that, I put thick layers of leaves, sawdust, sticks and anything else I can find. Six weeks without rain and the soil is still slightly damp two inches below the surface.
Here in hot and sunny southern California I use self-watering pots on my back patio. In winter I only have to fill about once a week, in summer I fill at least 3 times a week.
Thanks for these tips. This is very usefull for me because I live in a hot country and I only have rain water so I need to save it. Thanks!!
I'm in southern AZ in the US. Last week we saw 115 degree weather. My raised beds in my "sunken" garden are doing fine. No rain in about 6 months and I'm on 1/4 inch soaker hoses that don't put out much water as they are old and below the surface under compost and wood mulch. I water 4 times a day for 5 mins each. I like this "sunken" garden approach and hope to do it on a large scale with modifications at the next house.
Is it beneficial/okay to mulch with fallen leaves? I was just thinking that it would be cost effective and help the soil retain water. In South Africa it is very dry in Winter and still gets to 20 plus degrees some times in the middle of the day so we have to water often.
Here in Vancouver it rains most of the time in Fall, Winter and Spring, but then it doesn't rain at all for about 2 months in the Summer, with temperatures around 30 C (86 F) most of the day and no cloud in sight. I'm struggling to keep up with watering my raised veggie beds every morning, not to mention the beans and peas I planted in the front yard. I'm using the Square Foot Gardening method for my beds, but with only 6 inches (well, the bottom has sunken, so it's more like 8) of "soil" mixture, I'm finding my plants dry out so quickly and look all sad and droopy by late afternoon when I get home from work. I did use a drip irrigation system out front when I was growing corn there, but it didn't work very well (it's a hilly sort of spot, and the irrigation system didn't work very evenly). Ollas are a great idea, but won't work well with my shallow beds. I think I'm going to have to build up my beds another 4-6 inches, but the wood and "soil" mix ingredients were a hefty investment in the first place, so I'm loathe to repeat it. Sometimes I wonder if I'm watering too much, but then the wilty plants in the afternoon say maybe not. And then I'm puzzled by the advice to add mulch around plants, because others say not to put any extra organic materials on the soil because it harbours bugs. Sigh. The internet – so much information, so little certainty. 🙂
Unfortunately we get only a scant bit of rain in Oregon during the summer, windy and very dry! I rely on drip irrigation
Grass, and leaf mulch. Composted soil, and shade cloth helps retain water on hot days! Great watering tips. Thanks!!
I feel sort of silly suggesting this obvious water retention practice. I'm sure everyone must know the simple practice of building a soil ring around the plant but I did not see it mentioned. I used to just water the whole garden with a lawn sprinkler for two or three hours to make sure it all got a good soaking. Than this season I wanted to speed things up. The rings hold the water in place around the stem of the plant and the rest of the garden stays dry for walking around. It takes 15-20 seconds of watering per plant.
Very good advice. thanks
Here I have to struggle with a very sandy soil, so in dry periods I tend to NOT pull out all competing weeds (except large or nasty ones) in my garden beds as they keep the ground at least a bit moist. It's better to indulge them with a few drops then see the water running away to the next deepest point which usually is not where I want it. As well as it is suitable as a protecting shield in the cold season. Most winters I leave my carrots, beetroots, leeks in the ground, surrounded by any green survivors and gather them the moment they will be used. Bad weeds grow tall … but it ain't that bad altogether 🙂
I used to live in Arizona. When we had a drought, I'd put 2 bricks in the tank of the toilet to displace water (there was still enough to flush good). I'd catch rain water from the roof into a 5/gal bucket and bring it into the bathroom, and when it was flushed (if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down), I use the bucket to refill the tank.
How about a bit of humour: Thwart the inevitable hosepipe ban by simply leaving your garden outside in the rain.
I just moved from New England where I had raised beds with soil I amended with compost for many years, to south central Ohio where I tilled up the grey clayish soil. On a limited budget and unable to collect grass clippings for mulch, I've laid out cardboard to help hold moisture and keep down weeds and grass.
I swear by Ollas. I have them all over my garden and they automatically add moisture to the soil as needed. I rarely have any weeds since I'm not watering from the top of the soil but instead, the Ollas distributes moisture from underground. It's very efficient and saves water. I make my own so it's cheap but still works great.
Great tips thanks. You remind me of Hugh fearnley – whittingstall.
Research "ollas" and set up a gravity-fed system to run water to the ollas. You can water your entire garden by tuning a tap on for five minutes. It saves 70% of your water. I use this in the south of Spain and it works incredibly well. You don't get any weeds either as the surface soil is bone dry.
I'm in drought ridden Northern California and without summer rain I'm always looking for ways to get moisture into the beds without over-watering. I use the wash water from cleaning my veggies quite often (bonus! extra organic matter) and have terracotta pots in the beds with covers on so that I can go a couple days without direct watering when the weather is right in summer.