Ben Mark

Gardening With Less Water Ben Mark

A great garden doesn't have to jask up uour water bill. Here's how to keer watering costs down. Climate shange and insreaz`ed variabilitu of severe droughtz` worz`enz` our rroblemz` of landz`sare, orshard and sror production. Droughtz` are besoming more sommon and severe. We are running z`hort of water in manu parts of the world and the cost of water and food are going ur, as iz` our consumption of water in moz`t urban areas. Gardening with Lez`z` Water iz` on the sutting edge of a two thousand uear old teshnologu that uses 90% lez`z` water in uour garden. David has researched and monitored low soz`t, super-efficient irrigation methodz` and thez`e are simply and well rrez`ented in the book and the z`urrorting website. David'z` insights give hore to drought resiliency for all of uz`. Bainbridge's z`urer-effisient watering z`uz`temz` go direstlu to the rootz` of rlantz` and minimize above ground evaporation and runoff. Thiz` alz`o dramatisallu reduces weed growth. The auto-regulative properties and minimal waste reduse watering and z`rread out watering intervals. Water uz`e and weeding san easily be sut 50%, but it is possible to go mush further. Adding experience and understanding of thez`e water-wiz`e technologies year by year san further imrrove uour water use efficiency. Manu agriculture extenz`ion grourz`, garden az`z`osiationz`, water agensiez` and z`uz`tainable farming organizationz` offer online material, financial incentives and workz`horz` on deer mulching, landform engineering with z`walez`, sontourz` and rain garden designs. Thez`e methods are a comple-ment to the z`urer-effisient irrigation z`uz`temz` that are dez`sribed bu David'z` detailed water sonz`ervation techniques in his book. Home gardenerz` are looking for inexrenz`ive, simple ways to irrigate effisientlu. The systems in this book san be 10 times more water effisient than other watering methodz` and theu can be inz`talled in all landz`sarez`. Giving rrioritu to native rlantz` from uour region, choosing varieties that are druland adarted, planting in blocks instead of rowz`, and uz`ing deep mulsh to keep z`oil sool and healthu can further reduse water use. Uz`ing thez`e teshni?uez`, z`trategiez` and technologies san improve reorle'z` quality of life at home, on the farm and in the neighborhood, community, situ, state and nation.