10 Water Saving Tips

Earth Day is April 22, 2015.  Every day is Earth Day at Mary's Heirloom Seeds.  We are constantly sharing eco-friendly growing tips, organic growing methods and DIY recipes.  

Earth Day is a special day to give back.  What are you doing to celebrate this amazing place we call earth?  Planting a Seed?  Planting a Tree?  This weekend we hosted another Seed Planting Party.

Today we're talking Water.  There are so many ways to conserve and save water.  
Here are our top10 Water Saving Tips

1.  Growing in raised beds and/or installing a drip system to water your veggies garden is a great water-saving option.  Just remember to turn off your drip system after your garden is watered.
*Adding Coconut Coir will further increase your garden's ability to retain moisture*

2.  Collect water from the shower.  Not everyone is able to install a "grey water system" to collect and re-use water.  We timed it and it takes about 90 seconds for our shower faucet to run until it gets hot.  We use a 5 gallon bucket and collect that water and use it to flush the toilet at a later time.  That's almost 10 gallons a day for 2 people showering.

3.  Limit the length of showers or baths.

3. Install water-saving faucets and appliances.  This can save hundreds of gallons a year.

4.  Turn Off the Water when not is Use

5. COMPOST!  Instead of using the garbage disposal, throw that old food into the compost bin.  Then, use that compost to provide nutrients to your veggie garden.

6.  Collect Rainwater using gutters and downspouts.  Collect rainwater in 55 gallon barrels or even 5 gallon buckets.  We re-use 5 gallon buckets to save hundreds of gallons of water per year.

7.  Layer Organic Mulch around plants to helps them retain moisture.  We use dead leaves collected from the property to use as organic (and free) mulch.
*Adding Coconut Coir will further increase your garden's ability to retain moisture*

8. Re-Use water from cooked or steamed vegetables to make a yummy soup OR use it to water your plants.

9. In most cases, Using a dishwasher saves water versus hand-washing.  Make sure you wash a full load to optimize water use.  If you do not have a dishwasher, turn off the faucet between washing and rinsing.  Better yet, fill the sink half-way and re-use water.

10.  Grow Food and Not Lawns.  Growing your own organic food, if done properly, saves money and water.  Grow organic and you take it one step further, avoiding harmful, cancer-causing pesticides that further damage our fragile eco-system.



If you have additional questions about getting started or would like more info please feel free to ask.  As always, I am happy to help.

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