Easy Ways to Save Water for Your Garden

Courtesy junior partner

Keep a bucket in the shower. Or a big pot.

• Place the bucket in an area that can catch the water that isn't used--avoid collecting soapy water, though it shouldn't be harmful if you get a bit in, especially if you use natural soaps. You can save this water for your indoor plants since the salvaged water from the kitchen may breed gnats or unpleasant odors.

Keep an airtight jug by the kitchen sink.

• Capture water (sans soap) from rinsing out your coffee cup, carafe, filter, french press (after you compost the coffee grounds). Plants love diluted coffee water and coffee grounds.
• Keep water from blanching vegetables, cooking pasta, and washing rice. If you use enriched rice, there might be even more goodies going into your plants. Who needs Miracle Gro?

I easily keep my indoor and outdoor plants happy with just salvaged water. Of course, the best thing to do is to use as little water as possible in the first place, so I'm experimenting with sub-irrigation for gardening with a reduced water supply.