Many of us live in areas in where most years, Mom Nature provides us with all the water we need for drinking, gardening, landscaping, sports, and many more uses.
But we never know what mood she might be in so we should all try and conserve and stock up on water when we do have it.
Here in Texas where I have been living for the past 6 years, drought seems to be an annual occurrence. Even Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon B Johnson once said when asked about Texas weather that “It’s a land of perpetual drought, with an occasional downpour”. I have found that to be very accurate.
In the process of dealing with drought, I have learned a few ways to conserve water so my garden can continue to produce food for me.
Rain Capture
One of the best ways is to capture and save rain when you do have it. This can be accomplished pretty easily with a couple of food grade plastic barrels, or you can purchase commercial rain barrels.
All you need to do is cut into one of your gutter down spouts for each barrel you plan of using. The rain 
through the gutter is then diverted from the gutter, into the barrel.
At the lower edge of the barrel you have a small spigot which can be used to feed gravity fed drip irrigation systems.
All this from water that would have been allowed to run down the drain!
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is my favorite forms of garden irrigation. Not only does it save water by watering the plants directly at their roots, but it is less wasteful because the water goes directly where it is needed, and not all over the plant as a hose would do.
Drip systems are easy to install, fairly inexpensive, and are very flexible. They can be installed almost anywhere you want, including planters on the patio, or hanging plants on the porch.
But almost as big a benefit as the water savings, by watering the plant bear it’s base instead of from above, minimizes the splash up, and increased chance of fungus and disease. Add a little mulch over the drip line and you have an almost foolproof system.
Rain Gardens
A rain garden is gaining in popularity due to it’s unique was of conserving water. If you have a low area in your yard where water sometimes accumulates a for a while after a rainstorm, possibly from the runoff from a gutter, it may be a candidate for a rain garden.
Rain gardens are small gardens planted in these wet areas to take advantage of the rain water runoff. While it’s beter suited for decorative plants such as flowers, it can be taken advantage of for flowers and plants that attract benneficials and even pollinators.
Grey Water
Using grey water isn’t a method for everyone, and in fact, not allowed in some areas but can save hundreds of gallons of water that would otherwise go down the drain.
The definition from Wikipedia says:
Greywater is wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands. Greywater differs from water from the toilets which is designated sewage or blackwater to indicate it contains human waste.
With a simple household plumbing change you can redirect this grey water to outside uses such as landscape and garden irrigation.
Not only will you save water, but you will save $$$ on your watering bill.
Think about these ways to save water, the next time you turn the tap on.
