Water Harvesting 101

My laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system irrigates three fruit trees. This episode focuses on needed maintenance of this system and its six emitters, three of which are for my big pomegranate tree, two are for my small pomegranate, and one is for my Meyer lemon.

Quite often, water harvesting is associated with cisterns. And cisterns are expensive. So, if you can’t afford a cistern, what can you do? Quite a bit! This episode advises you to focus your efforts on passive water harvesting, with a bit of “used” water recycling thrown in for good measure.

Many people think of the desert as a harsh environment where lushness is impossible without heavy irrigation. Here’s the thing about heavy irrigation: It leads to sky-high water bills. And those can really lighten your wallet. Fortunately, there are plenty of water-saving alternatives to heavy irrigation, and I discuss them in this episode.

I like to look at water harvesting as a decades-long experiment. In this episode, I’ll take you back to my 2004 home purchase, when this place consisted of a bare lot in front and out-of-control Bermuda grass in the backyard, and I’ll describe my landscaping successes and failures in the urban Tucson environment.

Now that you’ve done the work, it’s time to enjoy the rewards of water harvesting. In this episode, I’m looking at them via the three activities of water harvesting. I’m also offering a bonus reward: Photo op! That’s because water harvesting-fed plants make great photographic subjects.

Our friends at the National Weather Services’s Climate Prediction Center just released the winter forecast and the American Southwest. And it’s looking like a dry and warm winter. Not the sort of prediction we water harvesters want, especially during drought conditions, but here’s how I’m handling it at my place.

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. Includes recommendations of raised beds from Greenie’s Garden and vertical planters from Greenstalk.  

Let’s look at the second activity of water harvesting, storing rainwater for later use. This one’s tailor-made for backyard food production, especially if you have a cistern. However, cisterns have limited capacity, so you’ll need to carefully allocate that water within your growing space.

This episode marks the start of a three-part series on growing your own food with water harvesting. I’m covering this process via the three activities of water harvesting: 1) redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is 2) storing rainwater for later use 3) recycling “used” water. This week,I’ll talk about how redirecting rainwater can indirectly help you grow food, and I’l...

In this episode, we’re talking about a creature that one doesn’t often associate with the American Southwest. We’re talking about beavers! This keystone species is every bit as industrious as you’ve heard, to the point where beavers are called ecosystem engineers. Here to bring us the latest on our regional beaver population is Jace Lankow from the Tucson-based Watershed Management Group. 

Now that the five-month inferno called summer is over, it’s time to for fall planting in the American Southwest. Perfect time to get landscape and garden plants established before next summer. My favorite sources for landscape plants and seeds? Here goes: Trees for Tucson , Desert Survivors , Tohono Chul Gardens , Pima County Master Gardeners , Spadefoot Nursery , Native Seeds/SEARCH , Pima County...

With the sound of a torrential downpour in the background, I explain how to make CEO-level decisions as a water harvester.

With the summer monsoon season nearing its end, here's a look at the benefits of tropical storm remnants.

None of us knows everything about water harvesting. Thiis episode is about building your knowledge by getting help.

With the remnants of Hurricane Lorena headed toward southern Arizona, here's how I'm getting ready.

Tips on photographing the plant life you're growing with water harvesting.

Is your cistern water smelling bad? Here's how to solve this problem.

Want to make your digestive system run in reverse? Drink your cistern water, straight out of the tank! How can you avoid this calamity? By filtering your water.

Since the summer heat is on blast and the monsoon rains have been paltry, it's time to cut back on water use. Here's how I'm doing it.

The heartbreaking tale of how I killed perfectly good plants. And then I thought I could revive them with water.

Got a lull in the rainfall? Perfect time to clean your rain guage. Learn how in this episode

A look at rain gauges and rain reporting. Includes recommendations of two rain reporting programs, CoCoRaHS.org and RainLog.org. See Martha's hardworking rain gauge on her blog, www. WesternSkyCommunications.com/blog.

How I handle a summer monsoon season that's starting on a disappointing note.

How I photograph passive water harvesting features when they're busy! During rainstorms!

How to add more drought-tolerant trees to your yard -- without spending money.