Water

Drip Irrigation

According to the Master Gardeners of Sonoma County, “Efficient watering means putting the right amount of water, in the right place, just at the plants needing it, without excess, runoff, overspray, or waste.”* The first principle of efficient watering is to water the soil, not the plant.  Although overhead sprinklers […]

Make a Water-Saving Wicking Bed Garden

Water Your Plants From Below Wicking beds are a unique way to grow vegetables that waters them from the bottom up. Unlike traditional gardens that require good drainage, wicking beds are self-contained, highy productive garden beds with water reservoirs that supply moisture to plant roots from the bottom up – […]

Water Wise Gardening

Tips to Save Water in Your Garden the Permaculture Way

Water Wise Gardening Tips Gardening in Phoenix, Arizona is challenging, particularly in May and June when the temperatures soar and rainfall is rare.  In order to properly water our plants, we employ Permaculture strategies for water wise gardening.  These strategies conserve our precious water resources while providing the moisture that […]

Water Harvesting: Can I Use Air Conditioning Condensate to Water My Garden?

 Free water, but is it safe for water harvesting? Q: I want to do more water harvesting. During the summer, my air conditioner condensate water runs off the roof through a pipe and drips onto the ground. Can I use this run-off to water my garden? A: Yes, water harvesting […]

Preventing Livestock Water from Freezing

You can use a combination of solar heat absorption and thermal mass to keep livestock water buckets from freezing in the winter.  One simple and inexpensive method is insulate a water dish with a discarded tire.  Stuff the interior of the tire with bubble wrap.  Measure the diameter of the hole […]