Gardening in drought may become the norm down here. About three weeks ago, the weatherman released reports on heavy rainfall during this month. The majority of people across the country were glad to hear this due to the sweltering heat. Farmers and gardeners alike were ecstatic to receive the news. Buying water to irrigate your plants is an expensive affair. Gardening on a budget is a more acceptable path if you want to invest money elsewhere for good returns. We’ve been experiencing extreme temperatures of 30 Degrees Celsius and above. Air-conditioned houses are uncommon here because temperatures in the tropics rarely swing to the extremities.
Gold to Soak My Thirsty Garden
So, three weeks after the announcement of heavy rainfall, we start getting some rain. Despite our muddy dust roads, the rain was such a relief. Over a week, we got some slight showers in the wee hours of the night. At least sleeping became more comfortable because the temperatures were lower by 7 Degrees Celsius when it rained. Otherwise, we’ve been coping with about 26 Degrees Celsius even at night. You are exhausted after a day’s work, but you can’t sleep comfortably through the night because of the high temperatures. So, if someone is still arguing whether climate change is real, perhaps they live on a different planet.
Ok, so back to the issue at hand: My thirsty garden. I’ve been waiting for the showers of blessings from above because I started many plants. I’m talking about planting Zucchinis, Butternuts, Cabbages, leeks, beetroots, Sweet Pepper, Radishes, and many more seedlings. You can admire some pictures down below before I tell you what happened.
After a week of steady night rains, the showers disappeared. The thick heavy clouds late in the afternoon were no longer available to signal a heavy downpour later at night. Our bright blue sky was back in its glory and the high temperatures tagged along with it. Alas! Heavy rainfall indeed! The rains have passed, and I haven’t even transplanted my seedlings!
Gardening in Drought with Unreliable Rainfall
It’s back to gardening in drought because the rains are not reliable. The first method to get free water for my garden plants is to reuse wastewater. Every time I rinse my vegetables, I save the wastewater for use in my garden. The water left over after rinsing your rice; reuse it to water the plants in your garden. When I wash dishes, I avoid using running water. I use several basins to wash and rinse the dishes. All the wastewater goes to my garden. When I do my laundry, all the rinsing water that doesn’t have harsh chemicals is free water for my garden. Wastewater is gold when you are gardening in drought.
Rules for Using Greywater while Gardening in Drought
What is greywater anyway? Greywater is lightly used wastewater from your house. But, a couple of rules are helpful when you want to use greywater in your garden. One, the wastewater should be free from any fecal matter. You don’t want a garden smelling like crap when you walk through your garden admiring your plants. Also, fecal matter can pollute your garden soil and plants. The water you reuse should not have come into contact with anything that can contaminate your garden.
Two, when gardening in drought using wastewater, I avoid the overhead irrigation method. I grow veggies that I can snap and toss into my mouth without worrying about chemical contamination. Likewise, I don’t pour the greywater onto the plant leaves or fruits in my garden. The greywater goes directly to the soil, and my plants pick the nutrients they need. It’s good to avoid overhead watering when using greywater in your garden.
Three, I use the greywater as soon as it is available. I don’t have a tank to store the greywater as I create it. Hehe, allow me to say I’m producing water for gardening in drought. Anyway, when you store greywater for several days, it gets smelly. That can put you off from using it in your garden. As I pour the greywater, my gravity system pulls it to my garden. In addition, I don’t let the water stand in one place and create a divine swimming pool for mosquito larvae. The water flows towards the garden once it hits the ground. After some time, the path dries up as it waits to supply more water to my plants.
Advantages of Using Greywater System for Gardening in Drought
Though I’m yet to fit a plumbing system for greywater in my home, I’m still using wastewater for gardening in drought. A plumbing wastewater system can direct water from your bathroom, sinks, laundry, and kitchen. It’s efficient, and once fitted, your wastewater system will recharge groundwater. Your garden soil will be moist, and your plants will survive the heat. Moist soil is precious, especially when you are gardening in drought.
Besides a constant water supply for your garden, there are more benefits of using greywater. You can save money and invest for future needs. I don’t know if you like the idea of cutting down the water bill and still enjoy gardening in drought. As for me, budget gardening is awesome. Using greywater in the garden can help you save money.
Before I forget, wastewater use in the garden is a route to save fresh water in the wake of climate change. Climate change will cause water to become scarce. There’s a whole science behind it, but I can mention one reason for water scarcity in the future. Low groundwater recharge and high reliance on groundwater resources will stress water supply systems across the globe. If you can save any drop of water, don’t hesitate.
Wastewater is also a cheap source of nutrients for your garden plants. When you rinse your grains, vegetables, and fruits, the nutrients can find their way to the garden if you use greywater. That’s another top reason to reuse wastewater when gardening in drought. Greywater is a source of cheap nutrients for your plants.
Money-Saving and Cheap Material for Filtering Greywater
I treat my greywater using an economical and affordable method. Once in a while, I trim the overgrown branches around my compound. The tree cuttings provide plenty of biomass fuel for cooking and heating water. Biomass fuel is cheap and climate-friendly. In short, I’m reusing waste to provide energy. The charcoal from the biomass fuel helps me filter the greywater flowing into my garden. I place charcoal all through the greywater path, and it helps to get rid of the foul odour.
Wherever you are in the world, gardening in drought may soon become your reality. I have more tips to get water for your garden plants inexpensively. I’d love to hear your garden stories too. What’s your experience reusing greywater in the garden?
Have a resourceful day!
Yours truly,
Your Nature-loving Girlfriend!