DRY WEATHER GARDENING

Since January 1, we have only had four days of rain.  This is not normal for this time of year at all - we have only received 10% of our normal rainfall.  We are already on water-restrictions and can only water for two hours in the morning and two hours at night, every second day.

Our regional council is about to impose further watering restrictions, and therefore I have been busily looking at ways to reduce our water usage and trying to look at some smart options to re-use water in the garden.  I have been researching in particular what neighbours in Australia do when it is really dry, as our conditions at present are very similar.

One of the most important things I have discovered is ensuring that there is a good mix of compost in the soil.  This really does help with moisture retention. The other thing that is really important is mulching.  I've chosen to use pea straw as I find this to be the most effective mulch to keep the moisture in the soil.

You can see in this picture that the grass around the gardens is growing really nicely, but the rest of the grass is dying all over our property.  The broccoli and cabbages in this picture were watered first thing this morning, but they're really drooping in the heat.

Pea Straw Mulch

 

We've got lots of rogue peas sprouting all over the garden as a result of using the pea straw mulch - but I don't mind because it will give us lots of free plants!

My next steps are to put in some water tanks around our property and collect water from the roof of our house and shed.  This is not very common in suburban areas in New Zealand, because we do not normally have these issues especially where I live, because we don't pay for our water like other cities.

Luckily, I work in the plumbing industry and have thought of a plan to use my grey water from the washing machine which will be quite easy to do.  My thoughts are also to source some big 1000 litre plastic containers from a local company who imports wallpaper paste in these containers.  It's an organic product so I figure that they will be perfect.  Then I will connect our drainpipes to these to channel the water from the roof.  And of course I'll need a pump to pump the water to the hose.  The only trouble is they are a bit unsightly, so I want to dig a huge hole into the ground to bury them. 

Potential Water Storage Containers?

 

This is going be a massive project and I am on a tight budget - so wish me luck! Or if you have any suggestions for other alternatives for inexpensive storage containers - let me know!