Being Water Wise - A Few Tips

Plants drink their food. If the soil dries out, the plants will starve—or wilt. To keep the garden moist, remember these tips:

• Use lots of organic matter in the soil.
• Keep plants close together to shade the soil.
• Mulch the beds well with compost or whatever you have on hand—newspaper, black plastic, old carpet, stones—and apply it when soil is wet.
• Weed diligently so that plants don’t compete for moisture.
• Reduce evaporation by watering in the later afternoon or early morning.
• Soak the garden thoroughly rather than watering it lightly several times.
• Strip off leaves to keep water going to ripening fruit.

Hope these hints help you save water and keep your plants alive and well.