As\nclean fresh water becomes ever scarcer and more valuable (and expensive),\nconservation becomes critical. In some areas this could mean the difference\nbetween having a garden and not having one. Here are some ways to reduce water\nconsumption (taken together they can save a lot of water).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 You can cut down on\nwater use by working a smaller number of beds very intensively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Mulching is one of the\nmost important water conserving techniques and can reduce water consumption by\nas much as a third. It not only shades\nthe soil from direct sunlight and by but also reduces weed competition (see Mulching.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Up until there is at\nleast 20% leaf cover, the soil loses more water by evaporation than is used by\nthe plants. Never leave the soil bare for any longer than necessary, cover with\nmulch or row covers to minimize evaporation. Keeping seed beds covered not only\nreduces water use, but also the frequency with which you have to water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Put plants with similar water needs in the same\nbed. You can then have a bed for moisture loving plants and a separate bed for\nmore drought tolerant crops. This enables you to more easily adjust your\nwatering to the crop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The way you irrigate\naffects water consumption. The most water conserving methods are the drip\nsystems, the most wasteful are overhead ones. Hand watering, with a can or\nwand, is also very efficient, but labor intensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The soil is a water\nstorage medium and one of the best ways to conserve water is to add organic\nmatter to the soil. When a soil is high in organic matter it absorbs water like\na sponge and any the water that falls on it in will be absorbed and held. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 In row gardens, where\nthe soil is bare for much of the time, the top couple of inches of soil was\noften cultivated to create a dust mulch, in the belief this would reduce\nevaporation. It has been found that the top couple of inches of soil tend to\ndry out naturally, so it really isn\u2019t necessary to cultivate. In fact\ncultivation may actually increase water loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Raised beds lose more\nwater than flat beds because they have more surface area. In hot, dry climates\nthe beds should only be slightly raised, or even flat to reduce evaporative\nlosses. In extremely arid areas they may even be sunken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 If water is very\nscarce don\u2019t use cover crops or green manures. These can take a lot of water\nfrom the soil even before you plant your crop (you should use a mulch instead).\nRemove old crops when they start to decline, otherwise they will continue to\nuse water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Dry winds can take a\nlot of moisture from the soil, so make sure the garden has an efficient\nwindbreak (a mulch will help also). <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Another useful\nstrategy for saving water is to only water your plants at critical growth times\n(during germination, after transplanting and when the food part is sizing up).\nIf you only give plants water when they need it most, you can get the highest\nproductivity for the least consumption of water. You may get 60% of the yield,\nusing only 10% of the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Don\u2019t deprive plants\nof the water they need for proper growth. It\u2019s much better to grow a few plants\nwell than a lot of plants badly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Starting plants\ninside, rather than direct sowing, can also save water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 A few crops are so\ndrought tolerant (watermelons, tomatoes) that they can be grown without\nirrigation, even in areas with rainless summers. They simply need to be planted\nfurther apart, to give each plant access to a larger volume of soil. In the\narid southwest, Native Americans grew corn without irrigation by planting the\nhills 6 feet apart. Yields are lower when grown in this way, but the fruit is\nsweeter and better flavored. If you have plenty of space, but not much water,\nyou may want to investigate this further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 If your hose\nconnections drip, then fix them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Don\u2019t let rainwater\nrun away down storm drains. Make use of it by storing as much as you can,\neither in the soil or in containers. See Rainwater<\/strong> for more on this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Get the maximum use of\nyour household water by using it twice. Once in the house and a second time in\nthe garden. See Gray Water<\/strong> for more on this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 In areas with wet\nwinters and dry summers you might try growing your main crops in spring, while\nthere is still plenty of water in the ground from winter rains. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"