The Hot pretty much destroyed my garden. Even the "full sun" green and red peppers, all of the herbs, and the dahlia bulbs that almost eeked out some blossoms before shrivling up and conking out.
I had almost given up hope that my sun-loving lemon tree had sufficiently tarted itself up to be pollinated. Her green leaves are flourishing, and she gets bigger every week, but no sign of any fruit. Until.
Suddenly one day there was a baby lemon hidden in the leaves! It's about the size of a Skittle, and I'm about ready to Freak Out with joy.
Since it has been so hot, I know my fellow growers have had to invest a lot of cashola into their water bills to try to keep everything lush and green. We have a tiny garden, and obviously my best efforts did not spare my plants who just couldn't handle that much merciless heat every day, but I am happy to say that all of the water I've used to keep my tomato, fig, and lemon tree alive and happy (and the herbs, while they lasted) is water that would have otherwise gone down the drain. No extra water has been used.
Garden Water can be salvaged in simple ways, and once you get into it, they quickly become a routine:
- Shower Bucket - I collect around 3 gallons of water with every shower while the water runs to get warm, then dump it into a big lidded trash can on the porch.
- Watering can/Kitchen Bucket - We keep a small watering can on the kitchen counter (thanks, Jackie, for the idea!) Every time I boil too much water for tea, or anyone leaves some drinking water in a glass, it goes into the watering can (don't throw hot water directly onto plants!). AugDog's leftover water from his dish goes in when I give him clean water every day.
- Pasta/veg steaming water - You can also throw water from cooking pasta or vegetables or potatoes into the Saved Water trash can, though the bits of food can cause your water to attract bugs/grow a bit of mold. Better to let the pasta water cool and then throw it directly onto the plants rather than adding it to the storage bucket, or keep a separate bucket for the food-bits and use it within a day or so.
Lots of people have their greeny "thing". Some are really REALLY into recycling. Others bike everywhere, or champion local food, or write to their Congress person faithfully, or never forget to bring their cloth shopping bags, or only by fair-trade everything. Or a combo of the above. And I guess if I had to claim ONE green issue or habit with which I am proudly most dedicated, it would be saving clean water. I actually feel a sensation of despair and pain when I think about how we flush clean water down the toilet every day when so many around the world don't even have safe water to drink. And I go BONKERS when someone leaves the tap running while brushing teeth, doing dishes, or pumping soap into their hands to wash up.
I have a long way to go, but here are some ideas and habits I'm working on to help save MORE water:
- Water-saving shower head - I love ours! Plenty of water and water pressure to take a good shower.
- NOT shaving my legs in the shower - Shaving while sitting on the edge of the bath with a little water stopped up in the tub saves gallons and gallons of water over shaving in the shower. Better shave, too.
- Consider not flushing the toilet every single time you use it. Just an idea. Give it a try. Grossed me out at first, but then I got over it.
- Switch to water-saving appliances when it's time to buy new.
- Be efficient in the shower. I'm not a huge fan of long showers, but I've skimmed even more time out off of my shower by being efficient: Shampoo, add conditioner, start washing, rinse hair/body at the same time, done. You could even be a rock-star about it like my hubby, who takes military-style showers and turns the water off in between these steps.
- Hand wash your dishes OR use the dishwasher, but don't wash your dishes and then put them in the dishwasher. Dishwashers use less water than hand-washing/rinsing, and if you get one with a separate water spinner for the upper rack, there is really NO reason to wash everything before you put it into the machine.
Do you have any more ideas? I'd love to hear them!
Hi! I'm so glad to have found you! I love your water saving tips. We too keep a bucket in our shower (although right now it's missing!?!??!) and flush our toilet with it. I'd love to also collect the grey water from our sink and use it for watering. We have rain barrels, but my husband keeps his carving wood in them, making them slightly less useful. Thanks for all the tips. I look forward to exploring you log more.
ReplyDeleteHi Milla! Thanks for reading and for your great suggestions! We were reluctant to try to convince our landlord to let us add rain barrels to our apartment, but that's on my wish list if we ever have a house. I hadn't thought of a bucket for flushing! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteWe really can't control how other people use water. However, we can always control ourselves and choose to do what is right. We may never see the impact of our actions now, but it will surely matter in the future. The change and will to conserve water should always begin within ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line here is always conserve water, anytime you can, and at any occasion. And there are many ways which we can prevent the waste of water. For instance, I've read somewhere that water used up in showers are equal to several pails, so we can perhaps lessen our bath time with those. Incidentally, this is why rainwater tanks are important: as a means with which to cover all the water-based processes in the house such as washing, etc. Anyway, thank you for sharing your ideas on this matter!
ReplyDeleteBert Aguilar @ Rainfill Tanks