(newbie here - please be nice)

Having just spent a day this weekend on my irrigation system (buried soaker hose for my veg garden, a couple of those fun little pinwheel sprinklers - couldn't resist, and a utility hose, all hooked into a switchable manifold so I can go between rain-barrels and tap-water), I'm all jazzed on this subject.  So my humble offerings to this forum:

Push-powered lawnmowers combine a bit of a sweat with your lawn-care needs, plus that soothing whirring/clipping sound.

Composting your veg scraps, coffee grounds, shredded bank statements, etc. makes for a decent fertilizer.  Of course it takes a year.

Catching your shower warm-up water in a bucket for yard watering (top up the rain-barrel with said bucket) saves a gallon or two, and makes for a fun conversation piece with your neighbours when they spy you lugging a bucket of water out to your yard each day.

:)

Kia Ora

Here in New Zealand the replacement of lawns and gardens with impervious surfaces has got the nickname of 'Placemakers Creek' syndrome.

Placemakers is one of the big home handyman stores where all good diy's go on the weekend to get their concrete and cobblestones etc. Seems whole valleys are heading off to buy stuff from Placemeakers to outdo the Jones' driveway etc next door. All of a sudden, before you now it, huge areas of impervious surfaces have developed and mini flash floods occur every time it rains! (well maybe not quite, but you get my drift...)

I think your tip about planting natives plants that have adapted to the local climatic conditions is great, as in the long run they look good, are self maintaining and help preserve local biodiversity (including birdlife).

Enjoying your commentary in NZ! Keep it up

Greetings from Australia, land of the hot and dry. We've been under water restrictions for several years now (no hosing or sprinklers, watering before dawn and after dusk on Sundays and Wednesdays only etc etc) so we've all developed a few water-saving techniques for the garden.

IronRinger's bucket suggestion is one of our favourites (it works for dishwater as well provided you're using an enviro-friendly dishwashing liquid), and you can also wash your car or your dog on the lawn (again with the enviro-friendly washing liquid) if you can do it efficiently.

But the biggest help is mulch, which provides a barrier between the sun and your precious soil to help stop dehydration. Do a bit of research as to the type of mulch suitable for your area. Some types of mulch is as good as companion planting in terms of keeping creepy crawlies away from your edible plants, for example.

When I lived in San Francisco I started using grey water from the bath and laundry to water the rosemary plants in the tiny front yard.  (Oasis laundry soap breaks down into plant food.)  I rigged a submersible pump to send water from the bath tub to garbage cans in the garage. From there it was 5 gallon buckets to the plants.

This was a neighborhood that loved concrete lawns. (Shudder).  We had the only tree in front of our house on the block.  When we sold the new owners cut it down.  A few blocks away a block got together and planted trees in front of each house.  Go figure!

In Marin we used Oasis water, warm up water from showers and kitchen water warm up.  We used the grey water for toilet flushing first and white water for indoor plants.  Leftover water was for outdoor plants.  If a plant couldn't survive on on what I carried to it in buckets then it was allowed to die and was replaced with a native.

Now I live in a house with a lawn.  I hate it.  I do as little as possible to care for it.  If I was healthy I would replace it.  Until then I keep it as ugly as possible and try to starve it.

gabh an latha,

Richard Dietzel
Eugene, OR

Out in the wilds of west Quebec we almost never water. Water is sometimes necessary when transplanting seedlings: tomatoes onions etc. Otherwise we water neither lawn nor garden. Moisture has less tendency to evaporate when the soil is covered. We cover our garden with old hay (It helps to be on a farm) leaves or grass clippings.

On one occasion we had no rainfall for a month or more. The earth under the hay in our potato patch stayed moist throughout the drought period.

Regularly watering plants is like putting them on drugs. They become addicted to the water and their roots tend to stay closer to the surface. The moment the water stops the plant wilts and can die. An unwatered plant will grow it's roots deeper and become more drought resistant.

Rain water is just right for instant absorption by the plant; while tap water is usually too cold and much will be lost before it gets to the right temperature.

Mulch also insulates the soil and helps even out the temperature in the garden so it stays cooler in the day and warmer at night. Spiders, toads, frogs and snakes also appreciate this environment and stay around more to help control the insect population.

As far as watering your lawn goes the best pattern that I have found is one of several short watering periods during the night.

If you put water on dry clay it immedietly swells and can shut the soil underneath from further infiltration. Several 10-minute periods of watering seperated by an hour each are far more effective in getting the water into the soil than a single 30-40 minute soaking. Thing scattered showers.

Mix your lawn with other things for optimal survival. Thyme and yarrow where it is dry, comfrey on the borders, violets where there is shade. Scattering white clover seeds into the lawn before the rainy season will help it self-fertilize.

There are lots of drought resistant plants that can replace a lawn if you don't want to sit or walk on it. Yarrow is the most notable but there are many othes that work. Purslane and hen-and-chicks are tough succulants that spread rapidly. Santa Barbara daisy is also nice with lots of flowers on low growing greens.

Good luck.

Hey, all; Hey, Umbra:

A technique for lawn, ornamental, and landscape gardening that covers many issues is to use only native species.  One of the worst phenomena we face is the problem of invasive species, which can start with or be exacerbated by exotic species, by  either spreading themselves or attached organisms.  Invasives cause great environmental degradation and cost beeellions of dollars, both in losses and control measures.  

Regionally native species are far better suited to the area where you live and are therefore more suited to the water regime present.  Natives also support native nurseries, which obviously are local, and cut down on transportation costs of exotics.  And they are much more likely to survive when you stop watering.

To add to the list of local sources, I would mention Master Naturalists groups in your area.     Ask any of them and they can probably name several favorite, native, vigorous species.  And when you plant local you also support local insect and avian species, which can help reduce biodiversity impoverishment.  

David
Sustainability For LIfe

Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind  and Sun!