• Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
No Result
View All Result

10 Ideas to Save Water in the Garden

March 31, 2007 - Updated on November 5, 2021
in Gardening Tips
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Whether you’re experiencing a drought – like most of Australia at the moment – or you’re just trying to be waterwise when it comes to your garden, there are quite a few way to save water. And, they don’t always lead to installing expensive rainwater tanks.

Here’s a list of 10 water saving ideas but I’m sure they can be added to and I will update the list if others have some neat ideas as well.

  1. Re-use your greywater – greywater is a byproduct of your sinks, dishwashers, laundry washing machines and bathroom showers. Depending on how much you wish to save – and what your local authorities will allow – will determine how much this exercise will cost.If you’re wanting to keep it cheap you could limit your water saving to the kitchen and laundry sinks. A simple plumbing deviation can give you the option to save the water into a bucket or run it straight off into the garden.

    A more expensive option is to have all your greywater plumbed into an underground reservoir for later use by your garden reticulation.

    Keep in mind though that greywater will be high in alkalinity due to many of the soaps we use to was ourselves, our dishes and our clothes. Therefore, this water is not generally useful in vegetable gardens as vegies much prefer more acid soils.

  2. Use drip irrigation – drip irrigation is one of the most effective methods for dispersing water into your garden as it’s aimed at the plants roots rather than a generalised broad spread. If you currently use sprinkler reticulation, try modifying at least part of your system to accomodate drippers instead. You’ll save mobey and water.
  3. Grow drought tolerant plants – lawns are the biggest users of water so to cut down on your water use, cut down on your lawn. Also, when buying plants choose ones that have low watering requirements and plant them together.You can still have some high watering plants in your garden but don’t disperse them through your gardens. Rather clump them together where only one watering station is needed to operate on a daily basis. The others may only require watering once or twice per week.
  4. Collect rainwater – this option, like the greywater idea, can be as cheap or as expensive as you like. You can opt for a quality rainwater tank to be professionally installed or another option might be to harvest the rain using barrels or buckets.Large barrels can be accessed through many food wholesalers who’ve used them for pickling or storing food items. These can then be plumbed using some DIY resources to feed into your garden reticulation or just oozed into garden beds.
  5. Install a lap pool, instead – if you’re planning to add a pool to your backyard landscape then choose a lap pool, like the Endless Pool I’ve previously reviewed. They take up less space, use less water and can be just as effective.
  6. Divert your gutters – rather than allow your rainwater from your gutters just empty into your soak wells, divert them into drainage pipes that run the length of your garden beds. These drainage pipes are usually peppered with holes allowing the water to disperse into the soil. They should be encased with a layer of aggregate to stop them from getting clogged up but they are a very effective means of saving water.
  7. Try aquaponics for growing vegetables – Aquaponics is another idea that I’ve already discussed on this blog. As a water saving idea it is by far one of the most effective.With normal vegetable production, any watering seeps through the soil and drains away but with aquaponics, and it’s sister hydroponics, the water is constantly reused.
  8. Use water bottles for container plants – the beauty of using water bottles for container plants is that they give a measured dose of water each day. It’s a great alternative to using watering cans which can be cumbersome and ineffective at watering your plants.
  9. Mulch your garden beds – one of the greatest forms of water loss is evaporation so if you mulch your beds with a decent blanket of mulch this will slow the process down and reduce the amount of extra watering your plants will require.
  10. Angle your garden paths – most landscapers will try to convince you to keep your paths level or at least so that any runoff is diverted away from your garden. Do the opposite. Use some fall from your garden paths to allow water to filter back into your lawns or garden beds where it can be used.

I’m sure this isn’t an exhaustive list so if you have some other great water saving suggestions add them in the comments below.

Previous Post

DIYWoman – Gardening Tools Designed For Women

Next Post

Using Corn Gluten Meal as an Organic Weed Control

RelatedPosts

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?
Gardening Tips

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

November 27, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Cockroach Control –  How to Keep Cockroaches out of Your Garden and Home
Gardening Tips

Cockroach Control – How to Keep Cockroaches out of Your Garden and Home

July 12, 2012 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Michelle Obama
Gardening Tips

Michelle Obama’s Top 10 Gardening Facts

June 28, 2012 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Gardening Tips

How To STOP Cats Pooping in the Garden

June 20, 2012 - Updated on November 5, 2021
Gardening Tips

Are You A Nuisance Gardener?

June 6, 2012 - Updated on November 5, 2021
Landscape Fabric
Gardening Tips

Landscape Fabric | 5 Weed Barrier Options to Consider

May 30, 2012 - Updated on November 10, 2021
Next Post

Using Corn Gluten Meal as an Organic Weed Control

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

November 27, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
A fully fledged gabion fire pit.

How to Build a Gabion Fire Pit

November 6, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

October 16, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
The beautiful Erempholia Nivea

Eremophila nivea – Outback Silver Foliage

October 3, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

September 25, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

September 8, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
GardeningTipsnIdeas.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, we participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.