Water Conservation

This has been a hot and dry season and we still have some hot weeks ahead before the cool fall evenings begin. This site offers some suggestions for helping your plants weather the Texas summer. Suggestions include choice of plants, water collection, mulching, watering times and amounts. For more information check out this site: Natural Resources Conservation Service .

You Can Do It...
Make a water collection pot with a faucet and hose to be placed below the air conditioning drain line or a gutter downspout. When the pot is full, the hose can be placed in any thirsty corner of the yard OR keep the faucet open for slow watering.

You Will Need: large fiberglass decorative planter, drill, brass faucet with a same sized nut and 2 rubber o-rings

1. Trace the threaded end of faucet on the planter.
2. Use a drill to cut the hole to fit the faucet. If you don't have a drill bit large enough, 'perforate' just inside the drawn circle to punch out the circle and file it smooth.
3. Put an o-ring over the threaded neck of the faucet. Put the neck through the hole and the other o-ring over the threaded neck. Screw the nut tightly to seal the faucet neck. (The o-rings are on either side of the fiberglass wall to make a waterproof seal.)
4. Attach a hose to the faucet opening.
5. Place the water collector under a water spout or AC drain line.
6. Raise the finished water collector by putting it on a few bricks to use gravity to increase the flow.

Please e-mail any suggestions/ideas/stories about your own water conservation or other topics to Kim.

Kim
Editor, Herb Gardeners Newsletter