We certainly can’t complain about the summer we are having. Warm, sunny days and limited winds that are really mostly breezes have made working in the garden a pleasure. And when I talk to our family in Portland and hear about all the heat and humidity they have had, well, I realize once again how lucky we are to live on the Tillamook Coast.
But there is one thing I have started to worry about and that is our obvious lack of rain this summer. We normally have a pretty dry July and August but this year the dryness seemed to start in June and despite a very few showers now and then, there hasn’t been much activity in my rain gauge.
Mark my words: some day in the not-too-distant-future clean, potable water will be more valuable than gold or oil. Because if the Pacific Northwest doesn’t get rain, who will? So we need to start now to be more water-wise, especially when it comes to our gardens.
First of all, keeping lawns green takes up more water than just about anything else in the garden. There are easy solutions that include just not watering. All your neighbors have brown lawns, so we are all in the same boat. You can always tell when someone who is supposed to be conserving water is cheating when they have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood. When the rains return, the lawns will as well. But if you do choose to water, be sure the grass is what is getting the spray and not the driveway or the sidewalks. Set a tuna-type can in the grass and see how long it takes to fill to an inch mark. Then you can set your sprinkler timer for that amount of time and no more. About one inch of water is all you need for an established lawn but that will vary according to the type of grass, whether it is in full sun or part shade, and how much thatch is present.
Or you can do what we did and plant perennials instead of lawn. I can -and do- cut my entire lawn with a pair of hand shears in about 15 minutes.
But I do have a lot of perennials. Surprisingly enough, they take less water to keep healthy than a lawn. I prefer to water by hand, using a hose, rather than irrigation. And that is from experience. I used to have a very elaborate irrigation system with electronic timers and a series of drip sprinklers and soaker hoses. And then I realized I was spending more time in maintenance of the timers, the soaker hoses and the pop-up sprinklers than I was gardening. Besides, when I water with a hose or watering can, I can target more or less water according to the plants’ needs. It also gives me the opportunity to see what is going on in the garden. I pay more attention to each individual plant when I am standing in front of it, soaking its roots. We bond easier that way.
Although I have a small garden, I know others who have large vegetable plots or perennial and annual beds may have to resort to irrigation. Do your homework before you put in an elaborate system, though, including checking the consumer ratings. Easily done online these days. OR you can talk to other gardeners and see what they use.
The best tip is to water deeply and thoroughly no matter what system you use. You will water less frequently that way, too. Twice a week (about 4 days apart) is adequate for most perennials that are planted in the ground. Those in pots will need some water every day if not twice a day if they are in full sun. Annuals generally need watered once a day as well, even if they’re in the ground. Remember, the dear annuals are putting all their energy into growing, blooming and forming seeds in one season, so try to keep them happy. A little fertilizer now and then helps, too. Watering in the morning before the heat of the day is usually preferable. But when you consider it rains during the day and night and that doesn’t have an adverse effect on the plants, I would say water before the plants look thirsty and you have time. Waiting too long will stress the plant to the point of giving up, so keep an eye out for wilting leaves on everything from alder trees to petunias.
I use the gray water from my laundry and capture it in a bucket after the last rinse cycle. This also goes onto perennial beds. I probably wouldn’t use gray water on vegetables, but if you do your dishes by hand as I do, you can capture the water as it is running to get hot and water your veggies with that. We also have a rain barrel that fills in the fall and winter and we use that water for flowers. Again, I wouldn’t use it for veggies because it is running off an asphalt-shingled roof, but its fine for pots, perennial or annual beds.
By paying attention to your plants, you will learn to read the signs of when they need water. And by being more water-wise, you will become more plant-wise, too.
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