Watering the garden is just one of those things that seems normal for most gardeners. If you read any pack of seed or information tag for vegetables they will talk about watering on a regular basis. But is this really needed?
This week’s blog post is all about changing your mindset around watering. Part of reducing how much you water is using water saving techniques which I talked a lot about in my post “19 Ways to Deal with Drought on the Homestead.”
But another part is changing your mindset around watering. This blog post covers the following mindset changes.
Let’s dive into what I mean by passive irrigation instead of active irrigation but make sure to check out the blog post for information on the other 2.
I’m not sure if the term passive irrigation is used but I use the term passive irrigation to refer to the watering that nature does on its own (though you can enhance these natural processes). This is the water that is stored in the soil, that collects as dew, and that comes from the life on your homestead.
Often you won’t even see this water since it will show up at night or stays in the soil. But it is there and will provide water to your plants.
Active irrigation is basically all the traditional irrigation methods such as drip hoses, sprinklers, flood irrigation, etc.
I think one reason people don’t tend to rely on passive irrigation is that you can’t see it. When the drought comes and the weather gets hot you can go out and setup the hose and sprinkler and know your plants are getting water. You want to take care of your plants and the passive irrigation just can’t be seen.
But even in the central valley of California they are able to grow tomatoes with no irrigation. While every location is different I think this is a big indicator that all of us can water less. But it does take a mindset change.
Changing your mindset towards watering won’t eliminate all your watering but it will reduce it. When you stop trying to grow massive vegetables, when you rely on passive irrigation, and when you learn that dealing with water stress in plants does not always require more water, you will reduce how much watering you do.
You will also have stronger plants with deeper roots that will produce smaller but better tasting produce for you and your family. Plus you will save time, energy, and money while also benefiting the environment by using less water.
Make sure you check out the blog post before you go to learn more about changing your mindset towards watering.
Also, please leave a comment with your thoughts on this week’s post. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you!
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