Rain Rain DON'T go away, Make My Garden Grow Today

  I think it's safe to say most of us would rather use rainwater over city water, just for the mere fact that it's free! Unfortunately, we can't always rely on rain to water our garden throughout the entire season. Unless you have a very large and awesome rain barrel to use the whole growing season, you will eventually have to use the city water. (P.S. Blog article about collecting rain in barrels coming later). Let's talk about the major differences between the two hydration sources.

Rainwater:

-Free!

-Eco-friendly

-Hard to collect large amounts (and sometimes illegal depending on where you live)

-Large, collected amounts will need its own filtration system

-No contaminants

City Water:

-$$$ 

-Easy to use and readily accessible

-Endless supply

-Contains hard minerals that can sometimes build up in plant containers

-Not as eco-friendly due to increased energy consumption

-Treated for contaminants

    You watered your garden with city and/or rainwater, now you're wondering, how often and how much should you be watering, anyways? You should water enough to permeate the soil about 6 inches for most plants. Watering frequency is dependent on many factors like temperature, types of plants, and current soil moisture. An easy way to tell if the soil is dry is just to poke a stick in the dirt or your index finger. If it's dry, give it a good soak and wait for it to be completely dry again before the next watering.     Watering in the morning is more beneficial than watering in the evening for many reasons. It allows the plants to soak the water in before the high temperatures evaporate it. It also gives plants ample time to dry before evening, reducing the chance of disease caused by wet foliage overnight. Adding a layer of mulch around plants that like water will help retain moisture. Keeping an eye on each plant for drooping and color changes will tell you the most about if it needs more or less water.

"Water is the driving force of all nature." - Leonardo da Vinci

💧💧💧


Location: North Dakota, USA

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