Most gardens need more water than is provided through normal rainfall. Usually we must turn on an outside faucet and hook up the hose to provide our array of plants with the water they need. Rather than run up your water bill and draw from your community water supplies—often exhausted over dry spring and summer months—why not recycle?

Recycling water sounds strange, but it actually makes sense. Consider all the rainwater that runs off your roof and straight into the gutter. Collect this water instead in a large barrel and then use it to water the plants.

A barrel like the one from Green and More is ideal for the average home. It holds 60 gallons and comes with an overflow fitting, drain plug, screw on cover, and threaded spigot. Available in a variety of colors, these barrels are especially great because they’re repurposed. Originally used to import olives from Spain, Green and More barrels gain new life by becoming rain barrels.

Watering lawns accounts for an incredible 40 to 60 percent of residential water consumption during the summer months, making lawn maintenance not only a chore but also a drain on the pocketbook and water supply.

The addition of patios, decks, or flower beds also serve to diminish water use by replacing thirsty lawn that needs watering. Or don’t even have a lawn . . . according to Gardeners magazine, trees and shrubs grow better when the soil over their roots is covered with a mulch or ground cover rather than grass. Manicured grass competes for nutrients and water, and passing lawn mowers can injure stems and trunks.

Posted on March 22nd, 2008 by Olivia Zaleski