Water Conservation

Wise use of water for garden and lawn watering not only helps protect the environment, but saves money and provides for optimum growing conditions.  Water is a limiting factor in plant growth. 

One way to conserve water is to use a rain barrel.  A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise run off and be diverted to storm drains, streams, and rivers. By collecting and watering with rainwater, you reduce your garden’s exposure to water treatment chemicals and dissolved minerals.  You also save money on either your water bill or your electric bill.  Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer.  This blog talks about how to use rain barrels.

Rain Barrels can have many different looks:

The directions for this complex set of rain barrels can be found here

Some people want their rain barrels to stand out

Directions on how to paint this barrel can be found here.

While others will make theirs blend in. 

This is one of the rain barrels we offer.

To find out what to do with your rain barrel in the fall check out CondoBlues tutorial on winterizing your rain barrel.

Collecting rain water in Ohio is legal, but be sure to check with your HOA/COA before starting a rain barrel project.  Some states do have laws about collecting rain water.  Be sure to check your states laws.

On the Farm

Trickle irrigation systems are frequently used by farmers dealing in high value crops such as vegetables, and small fruits such as grapes and berries, where lack of moisture can mean the difference between a profitable harvest or costly failure. These systems are similar to those used by the home gardener.
High-efficiency irrigation systems for row crops use less energy to pump water and, since they spray water downward, less water evaporates before it reaches the crop.

Farmers implement other water management practices to reduce the amount of water used to produce a crop.