By Mrs. Christmas from Slovenia, EU
Take a used 2.5 gallon plastic water container (Target sells bottled water this way and so does Super Walmart and BJs) that has a pull tap and cut a large, 3 sided hole in the back, leaving a plastic flap that can be opened or closed. When you take a shower, take the container in with you. As the water is warming up, hold the shower head so the water fills the container. I was surprised to find that it took almost 2 gallons of water to get it up to temperature! I then use the water for plants, our dogs and cats, and even to wash my hands. This conserves water when the weather is dry, saves money for those who have town water, and is a great emergency resource if you lose water if you lose electricity. It is also good when camping - put it at the end of your picnic table and you have an on site faucet!
By Rita from Whitinsville, MA
Source: These tips came directly from the school of experience. My family had a garden every year and I was taught right there at home.
By Sandy from Elon, NC
Source: Heloise
By Joyce from Pittsburgh
By sawing a piece of PVC pipe that can stick up from the ground about 5 inches and have about 7 inches below the ground you can have a great watering/fertilizing gardening helper. By Louella from Billings, MT
If you live in an area with harsh winters, strong winds and steady snowfall can create a lot of drifting snow. Believe it or not, this presents you with a great opportunity to conserve water. By installing a snow fence, you can effectively capture snow and create drifts in areas where you need additional snow to melt in the spring. Man-Made: Man-made snow fences are usually constructed of wooden slats (held together with wire) or from a lightweight, plastic mesh. They are inexpensive, easy-to-install and remove, and can be "fine-tuned" to control the effects of snowfall.
Advantages: Inexpensive, easy to install and remove, adjustable.
Disadvantages: Not as attractive, eventually needs to be repaired or replaced.
Living: Living snow fences can be made from trees, shrubs, native grasses, or even landscaping berms (small hills). They come with a higher initial installation cost, but once established add increased value to your landscape.
Advantages: Attractive, adds value, provides additional food for you and/or wildlife.
Disadvantages: Increased installation cost, needs time to grow, non-adjustable.
Length: Extend your fence approximately 30% wider on either side of the area you are trying to protect/control.
Set Back: Various formulas exist regarding how far back your fence should be set back from the desired drift area (e.g. a distance of 30 times the height of the fence). Most formulas are based on controlling snow near large open spaces like fields along roadways. In less open areas (like gardens), a bit of guesswork is involved. In general, you can expect drifts to accumulate on the leeward side of your fence at a distance of anywhere from 5 to 15 times its height. The determining factors include the average snowfall in your area, wind speeds, and the proximity of nearby structures.
By Ellen Brown
I kept seeing all that good water just going down the drain and figured out that if he put it onto the outside hose I could use it to water my garden. Fish tank water is supposed to have a lot of good fertilizer in it so I am getting more than just water. This should save us a lot of money this year by reducing our water bill and I am hoping for bumper crops!
By KatherineC from Reno, NV
I drilled a hole through the wall and moved the pipe coming out of the wall to where it was 7 feet off the ground, and made sure the pipe is at a slight angle so as the water runs free. I moved it outside of the patio area and put a fifty gallon garbage can under the pipe dripping and collect the water. I also installed a plastic valve at the bottom of the drum so I could hook up a hose to it and I water my garden with the water coming from the air condition unit. I have the plastic container off of the ground about a foot so as the water will drain out the hose.
With the weather so hot it takes about 1-2 days to fill the 50 gallon plastic garbage barrel. Usually the drain pipe is 3/4 or smaller plastic pipe
Source: None that I know of. I had an Air condition Rep. here to service it and he has been in business for over 10 year and never saw any thing like it before
By Leonard from S. Daytona,Fl.
By Tonya S. from Coal City, IL
Several years ago we lived in Texas during a rather long drought. My poor roses were suffering. Because we lived in an older home that didn't have central air, we used window air conditioners.
We noticed that there were puddles outside the windows with these air conditioners. We gathered some old five gallon buckets, and placed them under the drips.
Our buckets filled quite nicely. We were able to water my roses, my house plants, and a few vegetables that I had in containers on a daily basis. We are once again utilizing our free water, since we can barely afford the water bill with our basic usage.
By Brandy J. from Bowling Green, Missouri
Water is one of the earth's most valuable resources, so it is important to make sure that we garden in a way that doesn't over-use or waste water. With a little planning, you can reduce your garden water waste, and save yourself a little money at the same time.By Ellen Brown
Few of us are aware of how much water we waste. Most of us merely turn on the sprinkler and walk away. In many places, water is not only scarce, it's expensive. How you deliver water to your lawn and garden can have a major effect on your water bill and ultimately, on the environment.By Ellen Brown
We don't have a big garden. Just a tomato plant, some succulent plants and magnolia tree we try to give extra water too. We have a large window A/C unit in a spot where we can easily put a dish pan to collect the water that drips from it otherwise it would be all over the patio making a mess.
We started using that water on the above mentioned things and then began to thrive. We decided it was free of chlorine and maybe that was giving the plants a cleaner "drink" of water when we have some. It is so dry here and at times we don't have any.
By Bev from Uvalde, TX
A great tip for water drought areas. When taking a bath, save the water! Plants love the soap to kill off insects and salts for the nutritional value. We drink tea, soft drinks, milk, etc. and save those containers. After your bath, emptying your kids pool, after boiling potatoes, corn, eggs etc. let the water cool down. Then water your plants. I will get about 12 gallons from one bath. Why let it go down the drain? Use it on your flowers or veggies. Reuse your dishpan water also. When you get in the habit of doing this you would be amazed on how much would have gone to waste down the drain.
By Doreen from Bartow, FL
By Mama2one
By susanmajp
By MarieClaire
By emanuelli
You can also reuse these types of water to help flush toilets to save water. (08/13/2009)
By emhauss
We save our bathtub water and run it through a pipe into barrels under the deck. We then hook up our pump to hoses and water our garden with the recycled water. The deer do not like the soapy water!
By denowolfes from Talbott, TN
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Conserving Water in the Garden