Water Harvesting 101

Ready to take your water conservation efforts to the next level? This episode is for you! It starts with a plug for landscaping with the drought-tolerant native plants that have been surviving and thriving in the Southwest for thousands of years. It then moves into a more extreme measure–dispensing with irrigation systems that are tied to a municipal water supply. Rainwater storage and laundry water recycling are also featured.

Here in Tucson, we haven’t had measurable rainfall in more than a month. So, I’m calling it. We’re in the dry season. In this podcast, I’ll be covering the dry season to-do list for water harvesters. My focus will be on the three activities of water harvesting: Redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is; storing rainwater for later use, for example, during a drought; and recycling “used” water.

On this podcast, I talk a lot about water harvesting equipment. As in, rainwater harvesting cisterns, greywater harvesting systems, etc. And you may be wondering, where does one get this stuff? In this episode, we’re joined by Eli Nielsen, co-founder of The Rain Store, a water harvesting supply store that’s right here in Tucson.

Our friends at the National Weather Services’s Climate Prediction Center just released the summer forecast for the American Southwest. Arizona is in the “above normal” category for summer rainfall, and that’s good news. It points to a possible return of El Niño, a weather pattern that is associated with abundant rainfall. This episode describes my activities in the here-and-now, along with some summer preparations.

Springtime in the desert means that the flowers are blooming–for a very short time. Then the flowers fall off their trees and shrubs. This can create a lot of work for humans who’d rather not have all of that litter all over the driveway–and other places. However, that litter can also serve as mulch. Even better, it’s free mulch! In this episode, I’ll tell you how to take advantage of that free mulch from above.

Tucson just played host to a heat wave. As in, triple-digit temperatures. In March. This episode provides practical tips for coping with such an event, whether it’s in March or at other times of the year. You’ll learn how to handle your gardening and your household.

As water harvesters, we use organic and inorganic mulches in our landscapes. Organic mulches are derived from carbon-based life forms like trees, and you’ll recognize them as bark chips and wood chips. Inorganic mulches? They’re more commonly known as aggregate or crushed rock. Which mulch should you use? And where? In this episode, we’re joined by Shota Austin from Tank’s Green Stuff here in Tucson. He’ll tell you everything you need to know about mulch.

At my place, nearly all of my attempts to plant wildflower seeds have failed. The simple truth is, Arizona wildflowers are persnickety about where they wish to set up shop. Being planted here is obviously not to their liking. Then came the brittlebush. Shortly after I moved in, I was told that brittlebush just wouldn’t grow in this neighborhood. That really disappointed me, because I really wanted to plant some. A few years ago, I spotted a volunteer seedling in the front yard. A brittlebush! It simply seeded itself! That’s what we call a volunteer plant, and volunteers are the stars of this episode.

We’ve rolled into the month of March, which marks the start of meteorological spring. So, it’s time to start planning that spring/summer garden. At my place, I’m planning for three raised beds and a vertical planter. I’ll be relying on seeds from Arizona-based Terroir Seeds. They offer the introductory sound effect for this episode, so let’s get shaking those seed packets!

This episode features the iron man of Arizona weather forecasting, Michael Groff. He produces a highly detailed daily weather forecast on YouTube, the Phoenix, Arizona Weather Discussion. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Michael puts these forecasts together and learn about his other online media ventures.

Let’s meet Michael Albanese, author of the water harvesting book, The Modern Rain Garden: Scrape, Shape, and Plant. Michael has designed and built dozens of rain gardens and also has helped countless others build theirs. In this episode, he’ll explain what rain gardens are, and what’s behind the scrape, shape, and plant approach to rain garden design and construction.

I’m pleased to report that my place is one of the busiest natural habitats in the neighborhood. In this episode, I’ll share how the local bird species utilize my rain-fed landscape for nourishment, socializing, and nesting.

As water harvesters, we’re all about creating beauty in our landscapes and gardens. But we’re also dealing with scarcity. It isn’t just the water that’s scarce, we also need to handle monetary and time constraints.

Unlike most of the rest of the United States, Tucson isn’t covered with snow and suffering through sub-freezing temperatures. But yes, it does snow here. In this episode, I’ll view snowfall from the perspective of a Southwestern water harvester.

Although we have been experiencing a La Niña weather pattern, with above average temperatures and below average rainfall, this pattern is breaking down. I’m even hearing talk of an impending El Niño weather pattern, which can be quite rainy. In this episode, I’m thinking long-term about our Southwestern weather.

In Tucson, we just experienced our first Freeze Warning of the winter. So, it was time to harvest the Meyer lemons. Here’s a look at how I did that– and what I’m planning to do with my harvest.

My laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system irrigates three fruit trees. This episode focuses on needed maintenance of this system and its six emitters, three of which are for my big pomegranate tree, two are for my small pomegranate, and one is for my Meyer lemon.

Quite often, water harvesting is associated with cisterns. And cisterns are expensive. So, if you can’t afford a cistern, what can you do? Quite a bit! This episode advises you to focus your efforts on passive water harvesting, with a bit of “used” water recycling thrown in for good measure.

Many people think of the desert as a harsh environment where lushness is impossible without heavy irrigation. Here’s the thing about heavy irrigation: It leads to sky-high water bills. And those can really lighten your wallet. Fortunately, there are plenty of water-saving alternatives to heavy irrigation, and I discuss them in this episode.

I like to look at water harvesting as a decades-long experiment. In this episode, I’ll take you back to my 2004 home purchase, when this place consisted of a bare lot in front and out-of-control Bermuda grass in the backyard, and I’ll describe my landscaping successes and failures in the urban Tucson environment.

Now that you’ve done the work, it’s time to enjoy the rewards of water harvesting. In this episode, I’m looking at them via the three activities of water harvesting. I’m also offering a bonus reward: Photo op! That’s because water harvesting-fed plants make great photographic subjects.

Our friends at the National Weather Services’s Climate Prediction Center just released the winter forecast and the American Southwest. And it’s looking like a dry and warm winter. Not the sort of prediction we water harvesters want, especially during drought conditions, but here’s how I’m handling it at my place.

Wrapping this three-part series with the third activity of water harvesting, recycling “used” water. You can certainly use this one for gardening, and I do so with container gardens and in-ground plants like fruit trees. Includes recommendations of raised beds from Greenie’s Garden and vertical planters from Greenstalk.  

Let’s look at the second activity of water harvesting, storing rainwater for later use. This one’s tailor-made for backyard food production, especially if you have a cistern. However, cisterns have limited capacity, so you’ll need to carefully allocate that water within your growing space.

This episode marks the start of a three-part series on growing your own food with water harvesting. I’m covering this process via the three activities of water harvesting: 1) redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is 2) storing rainwater for later use 3) recycling “used” water. This week,I’ll talk about how redirecting rainwater can indirectly help you grow food, and I’ll explain what Imean by indirectly.

In this episode, we’re talking about a creature that one doesn’t often associate with the American Southwest. We’re talking about beavers! This keystone species is every bit as industrious as you’ve heard, to the point where beavers are called ecosystem engineers. Here to bring us the latest on our regional beaver population is Jace Lankow from the Tucson-based Watershed Management Group. 

Now that the five-month inferno called summer is over, it’s time to for fall planting in the American Southwest. Perfect time to get landscape and garden plants established before next summer. My favorite sources for landscape plants and seeds? Here goes: Trees for Tucson, Desert Survivors, Tohono Chul Gardens, Pima County Master Gardeners, Spadefoot Nursery, Native Seeds/SEARCH, Pima County Library - Seed Library, Terroir Seeds. 

With the sound of a torrential downpour in the background, I explain how to make CEO-level decisions as a water harvester.

With the summer monsoon season nearing its end, here's a look at the benefits of tropical storm remnants.

None of us knows everything about water harvesting. Thiis episode is about building your knowledge by getting help.

With the remnants of Hurricane Lorena headed toward southern Arizona, here's how I'm getting ready.

Tips on photographing the plant life you're growing with water harvesting.

Is your cistern water smelling bad? Here's how to solve this problem.

Want to make your digestive system run in reverse? Drink your cistern water, straight out of the tank! How can you avoid this calamity? By filtering your water.

Since the summer heat is on blast and the monsoon rains have been paltry, it's time to cut back on water use. Here's how I'm doing it.

The heartbreaking tale of how I killed perfectly good plants. And then I thought I could revive them with water.

Got a lull in the rainfall? Perfect time to clean your rain guage. Learn how in this episode

A look at rain gauges and rain reporting. Includes recommendations of two rain reporting programs, CoCoRaHS.org and RainLog.org. See Martha's hardworking rain gauge on her blog, www.WesternSkyCommunications.com/blog.

How I handle a summer monsoon season that's starting on a disappointing note.

How I photograph passive water harvesting features when they're busy! During rainstorms!

How to add more drought-tolerant trees to your yard -- without spending money.

How to keep your garden going, even when the daytime highs exceed 100 degrees.

Summer storm preparations as viewed through the three activities of water harvesting: Redirecting rainfall, storing rainwater, and recycling "used" water.

How I nearly killed my fruit trees with biodegredable soap, and how switching brands solved the problem.

Fifth installment in a five-part series on passive water harvesting earthworks

Fourth installment in a five-part series on passive water harvesting earthworks

Third installment in a five-part series on passive water harvesting earthworks

Second installment in a five-part series on passive water harvesting earthworks creation.

First installment in a five-part series on passive water harvesting earthworks creation.

Starting with a bare lot? Don't plant any plants before you make your water harvesting plans. That's called planting the water first.