Although rain is forecast for later this week, we also have to get through some record-high temperatures.
Perfect time to talk about shade, and how it can help cool our properties.
There’s natural shade, which means trees and shrubs, and its cooling effects drive local planting initiatives in Tucson and other cities.
Then there’s shade that we humans bring in. I keep my garden shaded with shade cloths from US Netting. They reduce the harmful effects of the strongest midday sun rays.
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: Looks like it’s finally going to happen!
The Rain Deejay has heard our requests here in Tucson, Arizona. There is a significant chance of rain in the forecast for later this week.
In the meantime, the forecast is also promising us record-high temperatures. I’m talking about 109 degrees tomorrow and the day after.
In honor of this record high heat, it is time for a shady topic. I am talking about shade!
There are two types of shade that help keep things cool in the city. Number one, there are plants like trees and shrubs that shade what’s underneath them.
This is the premise behind those tree planting programs run by local organizations like Trees for Tucson. Increase the shade in the city, reduce the temperature.
Number two, there’s human-made shade, which is also on duty at my place. Right now I am gardening in two raised beds, which total 27 square feet.
That isn’t a lot of space, but during the summer, I am trying to ration the water that comes out of my cistern. Right now, my 1,500-gallon cistern is holding around 1,100 gallons of water.
And, just because rain is forecast for later this week, that doesn’t mean we’re going to get it.
I have shade cloths above my big raised bed garden, the 21 square footer, which is growing things like cucumbers and okra. These shade cloths reduce the harmful effects of the strongest midday sun rays.
Right now, I am giving my big raised bed garden a good drink in the morning. In other words, two full watering cans at two gallons per can. In total, it’s about four gallons of cistern water per day
What’s going to happen during the record heat? Well, I’m probably going to go out there in the afternoon and give the poor long-suffering garden some more water, lest it look like a garden full of droopy drama queens.
In a 6 square foot raised bed, there’s my new Fignomenal fig tree, which had two figs on it. I just ate one and it was delicious. The other one isn’t ripe yet.
The Fignomenal isn’t setting fruit right now. And the reason for that is it’s just too darn hot to set fruit!
Meanwhile, my poor pomegranates. Those two trees are sitting out in the sun, and, I hate to say it, they are showing quite the crop of cracked fruit.
Too darn hot for them too.
I’m losing fruit right and left in the pomegranate department.
However, if we get a good monsoon season, like the one we keep hearing about, the trees will set another crop of fruit. Meaning that I could get pomegranates during the late fall and early winter months.
This year, I had a spring pomegranate crop because we had a mild winter. One of my trees set fruit last fall, thanks to the above average monsoon rainfall.
Speaking of shade cloths, I had to put one over my lemon tree (see above photo). The reason: Citrus is not native to this part of the United States. Humans brought it in.
And did you know that citrus trees do best at higher altitudes in the tropics? That’s where they’re originally from.
That’s why citrus can struggle during a southern Arizona summer. This isn’t their climate, and, yes, they do need a lot of water. I have mine on a laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system and I’m also throwing dishwater on it.
Tip: I use the water harvesting-friendly Oasis soap for washing my dishes and laundry.
Another Tip: I get my shade cloths from a Pennsylvania-based company, US Netting. If you need them, US Netting will custom manufacture shade cloths from your own designs. My lemon tree shade cloth (shown above) is an example.
If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, sign up for my monthly email newsletter. If you do, I’ll give you a free copy of my Water Harvesting Cheat Sheet.
And if you’d like to support the Water Harvesting 101 podcast, the PayPal email address is info@westernskycommunications.com.
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.