Hi @juliasjohn, I saw some of your posts and I see that you don't use mulch in your crops. Why don't you use straw or leaves to cover the soil? This could help you reduce the evaporation of water from the soil and therefore consume less, it would also bring organic matter to the soil making it more fertile every year. Start slowly to get out of the traditional garden schemes, you could try with a small piece of land and see the differences, perhaps making articles here on hive.