Julie is an avid organic gardener and recycler, living on a small country property in South Australia. Her mission is to encourage as many people as possible to garden organically. Please visit her website for great info Beginners Organic Gardening or Companion Planting Guide
www.1stoporganicgardening.com
Water is arguably our most precious resource. All living things need water to survive. But we don’t just want our productive organic food gardens to survive, we want them to thrive! And a growing plant uses a lot more water than one that is just surviving. Every part of the plant growing process uses water.
When plants start to become dehydrated they stop photosynthesising, close their stomata, stop taking in nutrients and stop growing. It can take a few days for some plants to recover even if there has been no tissue damage. So it is vitally important not to let your plants become dehydrated (just like yourself).
Not enough water can kill or stunt your plants. Sometimes mild water stress can be a good thing, as it encourages plants to send their roots down deeper into the soil, making them more drought tolerant. The aim is to use as little water as possible without causing stress.
Ways to use less water
1. Create soils that are made up of humus and organic matter. These soils can hold lots of water and plants can easily draw it up. It has great water-holding capacity as well as having a high nutrient content.
2. Mulch the soil surface. This reduces evaporation, keeping the underlying soil moist for longer. Any mulch is better than no mulch, even if it’s underfelt (the older kinds are safer) or newspaper. This also prevents soil erosion.
3. Use drip irrigation – preferably under the mulch or soil surface. There are purpose made recycled hoses available now that are perfect for the job. You can save up to 90% by using drip irrigation rather than a sprinkler.
4. Only water when it is needed and as much as is needed. If you’re not sure, try the finger test. Yes – poke your finger into the soil to see if it is moist or dry. Make sure the water penetrates as deep as the roots, but it’s a waste to water any deeper than that.
5. If you live where summers are really hot, plant crops under partial shade. It could be shade from a pergola or tall plants such as sweet corn.
These are simple methods to reduce your water consumption. You could also consider collecting your own water. If we all had rain-water tanks attached to our houses it would not only give us clean, free water, but would reduce the amount of water that ends up in our storm water drains. It is also much better for food gardens as mains water is often high in salts, chlorine and fluoride.
Re-use of “grey” water is also another way to reduce how much water we consume. It can be used on lawns and other plants in the garden that are not for food production.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
Faster Composting Tips - Speeding Up the Compost Bin
By: Jon Ruppel | 12/11/2009Most every gardener knows some of the benefits of compost, but often they have a hard time making enough for their use. Here are some tips to getting your garden compost bin working faster.
All you need to know about gardening
By: Sunnyjit Sinha Roy | 12/11/2009The important tips of knowing the basics of gardening
Keep Your Winter Wood Dry in Good Storage
By: Jonathan Wallace | 12/11/2009Summary: As the months become cold and the sun stays out for less time each day, our thoughts turn to staying warm over the coming winter. You can keep your wood burning stove going by stocking up on wood - and keeping it dry whilst in storage!
Buying an Indoor Herb Garden Kit? Read This First
By: Pete Steel | 12/11/2009You will need to seriously consider the following prior to purchasing an indoor herb garden kit. If you approach this correctly, there are definite advantages to growing herbs indoors, not the least of which is growing a relatively small group of herbs and concentrating on maintaining their health.
HYDROPONICS, what does it do
By: Lovely Andy | 12/11/2009Now that you have the knowledge on the different stages to consider, then its time to know more on the technicalities of hydroponics, the lighting system. As in any form of gardening, we all know that lighting is the most important factor to consider, especially in grow box method. You don’t need to purchase powerful lights that consume lots of energy. All you need is the best type of lighting that is essential in hydroponic, the HPS.
What is a Hydroponic Grow Box System?
By: Lovely Andy | 12/11/2009Grow boxes are becoming more and more popular these days as it allows people to grow gardens inside their homes with a hassle free kind of work. Hydroponic grow box system is also used in agricultural research as this allows researchers to have full control over their experiments. Even young generations are now keen on indoor gardening as a hobby. Aside for its eco-friendly characteristic, a hydroponic grow box can be a good indoor decoration which adds beauty and glamour to the interiors of
Controlling Herb Harvest and Preparation
By: Vicky Josephino | 12/11/2009Different herbs call for different measures. Knowing the best way on how to handle, harvest, and prepare specific plants will definitely maximize each herb’s flavoring effects on dishes.
Some Tips on Planting an Herb Garden in Pots
By: Pete Steel | 12/11/2009When you initially buy your pot or container for your plants, be sure the container already has drain holes in it. Quality containers will sport this feature.
Why Mulching Needs to be Part of your Organic Gardening System
By: Julie Williams | 12/02/2008 | GardeningIn today’s language mulch has come to mean any material that covers the soil to preserve moisture content, prevent soil erosion and inhibit weed growth. For organic gardening I choose materials that will break down over time, feeding my plants and contributing to the amount of humus in the soil.
Tips to Use Less Water in your Thriving Organic Food Garden
By: Julie Williams | 17/11/2007 | GardeningWater is arguably our most precious resource. All living things need water to survive. But we don’t just want our productive organic food gardens to survive, we want them to thrive! And a growing plant uses a lot more water than one that is just surviving. Every part of the plant growing process uses water.
Grow Herbs for Cooking, Companion Plants and Flowers
By: Julie Williams | 30/10/2007 | GardeningHerbs are such versatile plants. Their uses include medicinal, cosmetic, as essential oils for aromatherapy, as great companion plants, craft-work and of course to add mouth-watering flavours and aromas in our cooking. If you haven’t grown herbs before, just start with some really easy to grow herbs that you find particularly useful. I have an organic garden, so everything is free from chemicals.
How to Build a Fast-burning Compost Heap With Straw Bale
By: Julie Williams | 11/10/2007 | GardeningIf your attempts at composting seem to take forever to break down to a useable product, try building your next compost heap with straw bale. Remember to get organic straw bales if you have an organic garden. The idea is to use bales of (organic) straw as the external structure of your compost heap – it will hold your composting ingredients
How to Grow Garlic in your Organic Garden – Step by Step. Part 2
By: Julie Williams | 05/09/2007 | GardeningGarlic is not only a staple in the kitchen, but its health benefits are outstanding as it is a natural antibiotic and has antiseptic properties. In the organic garden it is often used as the base for various insect deterrents and it also has anti-fungal properties. Garlic is also a very useful companion plant.
How to Grow Garlic in your Organic Garden – Step by Step. Part 1
By: Julie Williams | 20/03/2007 | GardeningWhat an amazing plant! Garlic (Allium sativum) has been around for more than 3,000 years. It’s not that surprising really when you look at the culinary and medicinal purposes it boasts. Garlic is not only a staple in the kitchen, but its health benefits are outstanding as it is a natural antibiotic and has antiseptic properties. In the organic garden it is often used as the base for various insect deterrents and it also has antifungal properties.
10 Tips for Organic Gardening Uses of Comfrey
By: Julie Williams | 05/03/2007 | GardeningComfrey(Symphytum officinale)is just one of those plants that every organic garden must have growing. It also has great merit as a medicinal plant. This plant serves us so well. Propagation is by root division. But be careful with this plant as it will grow from the tiniest piece of root.
Simple Organic Methods to Combat Pests in your Veggie Garden
By: Julie Williams | 19/02/2007 | GardeningOrganic gardeners always prefer to use methods that have the least negative effect on the environment. By growing strong healthy plants we eliminate the threat of having large scale pest invasions. But when some pest populations do build up in our garden we should be asking “how can I encourage more predators?”, rather than “what should I do about all these pests?”