Green ideas for green thumbs

                    Rain barrels                            Vegetable Gardens

Rain Barrels

Rain barrels are an excellent way to conserve water and save money on your water bills. And they have lots of other advantages:

• They're easy to install and relatively inexpensive.
   
• Harvested rain water is better for your lawn and garden than tap water.
   
• Using a rain barrel reduces water pollution by minimizing the storm water runoff, which can collect pollutants from your landscape such as nutrients, sediments, chemicals, and bacteria. 

Rain Barrels: Did you know?

• A moderate storm of 25 mm (1 inch) of rain produces over 2000 litres of runoff from a roof surface of 93 square metres.

• Rain water from your rain barrel is great for washing the car and other outdoor water uses.

• Design your garden so rain water from your downspouts flows directly to your plants.

• Ensure the rain barrel is equipped with an appropriate screen or cover to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the standing water.

Remember, water from your rain barrel is not suitable for drinking.

Vegetable Gardens

Many home vegetable gardens consist of plants such as tomatoes and peppers that are happiest when they receive an even supply of water throughout the growing season. 

Even though your vegetable garden must be watered consistently, it can be done in an efficient way.

 A healthy vegetable garden needs approximately the same amount of water as a lawn does.  By replacing your lawn with a vegetable garden and watering efficiently (by hand, soaker hose, or drip irrigation system) your water consumption does not change substantially and you have the added bonus of producing your own delicious food.

The best time to water your plants is in the early morning or in the late evening so that the sun does not scorch wet leaves.

The flavour and sugar content of fruit such as tomatoes, corn, and melons is negatively affected by over-watering during the fruit ripening period.

Shaded soils lose less water by evaporation than those exposed fully to the sun.

Certain vegetable plants such as red cabbage, rhubarb, chard, leaf lettuce, and compact tomatoes are decorative and can be used in flower beds as borders.

Vegetable plants in containers use more water than in-ground gardens, because the soil dries much faster.

Vegetables with deep root systems (broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale) are less susceptible to heat damage.

Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants.  Bark, organic mulch or peat moss slows down evaporation and helps keep the soil moist.

When possible, use native or other low-water use vegetable species.  Check with your local nursery for the best native or low-water use plants.

To decrease the risk of overwatering, try grouping plants with similar water needs together.

Harvest rainwater or position downspouts and other runoff towards shrubs and trees.

If rainwater is not available to water your garden, water by hand or use a drip irrigation system to water your vegetables, ornamentals, and fruit trees.

Consider planting your vegetables in closer rows.  This will make better use of the water you apply to the root zone. 

Consider creating a vegetable rain garden. Rain gardens are built in a depression in your property that collets rain run-off naturally.  It also traps storm water that would normally enter the storm sewer system. 

When watering, ensure to water the base of the plant and its roots; not the leaves.

Water your plants by hand, a soaker hose or other water-efficient irrigation systems.

Abide by the City’s even-odd day lawn watering schedule by-law.


Producing your own food in your backyard is a fantastic sustainable practice any home owner can do.

Not only are you reducing your carbon footprint by sourcing your own local food, you are also increasing the connection between yourself and the food you eat.

 

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