Wrapping this three-part series with the third activity of water harvesting, recycling “used” water.
You can certainly use this one for gardening, and I do so with container gardens and in-ground plants like fruit trees.
This episode includes recommendations of raised beds from Greenie’s Garden and vertical planters from Greenstalk.
Transcript
INTRO: From Tucson, Arizona, welcome to the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. My name is Martha Retallick. I’ve been a water harvester for 20 years, and I’m looking forward to helping you get started.
Before we do that, here’s a little Tucson secret: For most of the year, we’re in drought. That’s just how life is in the desert.
But when the rains return, oh, do they ever. They often bring an unwelcome friend called flooding.
How do we reduce the risks of flooding? We do it with water harvesting.
Water harvesting encompasses three activities:
- Redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is.
- Storing rainwater for later use, for example, during a drought.
- Recycling “used” water. At my place, I don’t let laundry water go down the drain. Instead, it’s for the fruit trees.
We’ll be covering all of these topics and more, so let’s get started.
EPISODE: Welcome to the super-duper extra-rainy edition of the Water Harvesting 101 podcast!
This is part three of a three-part series on growing your own food with water harvesting.
I’ve been looking at this topic through the lens of the three activities of water harvesting. Number one, redirecting rainwater away from where you don’t want it to where you do. Number two, storing rainwater for later use. And number three, today’s topic, recycling used water.
I started this podcast with some actual rain sounds, and that is to remind us that regardless of what activity of water harvesting we are using to grow food and other things, all of that water originates in rainfall.
So, onward to today’s topic: Growing your own food with water harvesting by recycling used water.
I like to tell people who may be wanting to try water harvesting out and do it very simply is, take a shower.
And I will keep things family-friendly – because this is the Water Harvesting 101 Podcast – by saying, before you take your shower, put a bucket underneath the tub spout and mix that water up so it’s just right, take your shower, and after you’re refreshed and dressed, take that bucket out and water one of your plants.
Around here, I like to water my vertical planter, which is made by a company called Greenstalk.
In the Greenstalk right now, I have tomato, tepary beans, malabar spinach, and even some okra that’s still trying to grow, although it is kind of late in the year for okra. So, I may have to pull that plant soon.
I also like to take this shower bucket water out to my gas meter garden (shown above),which, surprise, is right next to my gas meter. This is where I’m growing cilantro and greens and lettuce.
And that’s recycling water that would otherwise go down the drain before you take a shower. You’re recycling it instead of letting it escape. And there is nothing I dislike more than wasting perfectly good water.
Another thing I like to do and I recommend is wash the dishes for your plants. I wash my dishes in a little bucket, using the Oasis brand of water harvesting-friendly soap. Then I take it out to an in-the-ground plant like a tree or a shrub, and give it a little splash.
I don’t recommend that you do this with container-type plants that are in pots or in raised beds because over time, the salt in the soap – and even Oasis has some salt in it – will build up, and that can be harmful to your plants.
So, another thing I have here is I have the greywater harvesting system off my washing machine – laundry-to-landscape – which sends the greywater out to two pomegranates and a lemon.
I do have a fig tree in my backyard, but it’s not connected to the gray water system anymore because I recently got a new garden bed from a company called Greenie’s Garden. There isn’t a washing machine on this planet that has a pump powerful enough to bring water up to that planter.
So my new fig tree, my Fignomenal fig, that one is getting the good stuff. I give it cistern water, and yes, I occasionally take a shower for this plant too.
So that’s a brief look at recycling used water. Yes, you definitely can use it for growing your own food.
But once again, let’s keep in mind that, ultimately, all of this water that we’re harvesting comes from rain. And here comes another reminder. [Sound of thunder.]
OUTRO: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, meet my book family.
First, it’s City Nature, the book that’s guaranteed to look great on any coffee table. City Nature reveals my secrets to water harvesting through my 20-year journey of transforming my Tucson home into an urban oasis. Get the details at CityNatureBook.com.
And if you’re on the go, take water harvesting with you. Water Harvesting 101 is an audiobook and eBook combination that will teach you the nuts and bolts of water harvesting and show you how to put them to work. Available exclusively at WaterHarvesting101Book.com.