Conserving Water While Gardening

One of the most useful skills that a gardener can know is how to go about conserving water when they are gardening. This is a concept that goes beyond simply caring for a vegetable or flower garden, but one that can effect all manner of landscaping needs as well. In fact, in this day and age of ever increasing utility bills and watering restrictions, it only makes sense to learn how you can begin conserving water while gardening. If you are not already conserving water, or would like some ides that you could possibly use, then look below.

• Consider Xeriscaping. If you are looking to conserve water on a large scale, throughout your entire landscape, then you should consider Xeriscaping. This type of landscaping doesn't mean that you need to make your home look like it is in a desert, but rather it means that you create a landscape that can operate off of lower water usage. While yes, the easiest method for doing this is to make your landscape look like a desert, there are other options. Take a look at your local county extension office for some other examples of how you can do this.
• Be creative. Take a look at methods that you can use to help catch rain water and utilize it in your gardening. Consider ways that you can use recycled, or grey, water for your gardening needs as well. If you can use things such as cisterns, or rain barrels, then you can limit the need for costly water bills.
• Create zones. Plant your garden and landscape according to area that will require similar levels of watering. By creating these "zones" you will be able to minimize the amount of water that you use, and maximize the water that is used. Another way that you can increase the efficiency of these zones is by using mulch, which will not only limit the amount of water that you need, but help protect the plants from any weeds or other potential problems.
• Use less thirsty plants. By focusing on plants that don't require as much water as others, you will be able to help reduce the amount water that you need to use. Do a little research when choosing your plants, and try to use the ones that will require the least amount of water possible in your gardening and landscaping.
• Plant for your region. Always pick plants from your growing zone, and if at all possible, from your immediate region. The reason for this is that these plants are already used to growing in the weather of your area, and will therefore require less care, and less water, then other plants will.