its been a bit of a yucky summer here and very windy. we are not getting alot of rain and things are looking pretty brown in South Canterbury. My poor garden is very very dry. Some of the gardens are cracking. being in the country on limited water supply I can't have sprinklers going all day, and with having such huge gardens its not an option. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Warm Fuzzies
Lisa

save your grey water wherever possible Lis, ie when you shower put the plug in and that water can be bucketed and put onto plants. In the days of a hose from the washing machine you could do the same, but a lot of modern machines are plumbed directly to the outside drain now, but if not there is more water. Any household grey water is great for the garden.

Otherwise I think mulching retains water in the soil, ie grass clippings.

Hope that's of some help - cheers

Irene is right, grey water is the answer. I lived in Jersey where they only had a dam for the residents water, and we had to conserve at one time the water situation was so bad, we were limited to a few litres each. We used to put plastic tubs in the sink, wash dishes in that and then use the water for the plants.

Another time when living out in the country, I put tubes from where the washing machine water drained through the drain outside the house and had it water the garden below. I had a big tub full of herbs and they thrived.