Conserve Water and Create a Sustainable Garden Using Drought-Tolerant Plants and Rainwater Harvesting

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Other than soil health, access to water in your garden is a crucial ingredient in growing food successfully, and with changing weather patterns and increased frequency of droughts due to climate change posing significant challenges to water resources, water conservation becomes even more critical in regions prone to drought to ensure the availability of water during dry periods.

According to the United Nations, about 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, and around 4.2 billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year, and agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater globally, accounting for around 70% of total water usage. Plus, energy is required to extract, treat, and distribute water, while water is necessary for energy production, such as cooling thermoelectric power plants. The water-energy nexus refers to this interdependence of water and energy resources. Conserving water can help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is water conservation in the garden?

There are many ways you can collect rainwater and conserve water in the garden. You can adopt water-wise landscaping techniques, such as sustainable landscape design, collecting and using rainwater for non-potable purposes, drip irrigation, ollas and xeriscaping - the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation by incorporating drought tolerant plants.

What are the benefits of including drought-tolerant plants and rainwater harvesting systems in your garden design?

By utilizing plants that don’t require heavy watering and can survive drying out a bit, you can reduce runoff (precipitation that does not soak into the soil but instead moves on the surface and is lost to evaporation), conserve water, save money on water bills, reduce maintenance, and support a healthy ecosystem. This is a great passive way to increase the sustainability of your garden with little effort - all it takes is a bit of planning. Use the list of drought tolerant plants below to start planning.

How do rainwater barrels work?

A rainwater harvesting system utilizing barrels most commonly works by capturing rain coming down your gutters off of your roof. The water can then be accessed through a spigot or hose connected directly to the barrel. You can scale this concept up with an actual collection tank, and even hook it into your home’s greywater system.

What is the best rainwater harvesting barrel?

We have this 50 Gallon Capacity Flat Back Rain Barrel. It allows us to utilize natural resources and is linkable to other barrels for increased capacity using separately sold linking kit. This rain barrel collection system is resistant to rust, mold, mildew, and rotting and has a high quality brass spigot for hose hook-up, plus an included overflow spout helps drain excess water away. There is a screen to keep out debris, insects, animals, and children. It is made off BPA-free, FDA approved resin in the USA and it is 22" L x 23" W x 30" H. It is sturdy and built to last.

What are some other ways to conserve water in the garden?

The concept of using ollas as an irrigation system goes back thousands of years and has been used in countless cultures around the world. An olla watering system is basically any type of unglazed clay pot that is buried beneath the soil with only a small amount sticking up above the surface and filled with water. You can tell that a pot is unglazed because it will be that classic terracotta red color with no shiny finish, glaze or paint. The water then leeches out of tiny holes or “pores” in the unglazed clay and is pulled through the soil to the roots of your thirsty plants using a process called soil moisture tension. This functions much the same way as osmosis, in that the water is trying to equalize to a certain level of moisture within the soil. This means your soil will never become overwatered either - if the soil is moist, the water stays in the pot until it is needed. Click here for full instructions on how to make your own.

DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS

Thyme

Appearance: Small, fragrant leaves on low-growing, spreading stems.

Size: Typically 4 to 8 inches tall and spreading up to 12 inches.

Uses: Culinary herb, medicinal properties, ground cover.

Olive Tree

Appearance: Evergreen tree with gray-green foliage and small, white flowers.

Size: Can reach up to 30 feet tall, but some cultivars are smaller.

Uses: Edible olives and oil, ornamental tree.

Fern-leaf Yarrow

Appearance: Feathery, fern-like leaves and clusters of yellow flowers.

Size: Typically 2 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, cut flowers, attracts beneficial insects.

Hummingbird Mint

Appearance: Aromatic foliage with spikes of tubular flowers in various colors.

Size: Varies by species, typically 2 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, attracts pollinators, herbal tea.

Zinnia

Appearance: Showy, daisy-like flowers in a wide range of colors and sizes.

Size: Varies by cultivar, but generally 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, cut flowers, attracts butterflies.

Aloe vera

Appearance: Rosettes of fleshy, spiky leaves with tall flower stalks.

Size: Typically 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Medicinal gel from the leaves, ornamental plant.

Purple Coneflower

Appearance: Large, showy flowers with cone-shaped centers and drooping petals.

Size: Usually 2 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.

Uses: Medicinal herb, ornamental plant, attracts pollinators.

Beardtongue

Appearance: Tubular flowers in various colors, on tall stems with narrow leaves.

Size: Ranges from 1 to 4 feet tall, depending on the species.

Uses: Ornamental plant, some species used in traditional medicine.

Blanket Flower

Appearance: Brightly colored daisy-like flowers on long stems.

Size: Varies by species, typically 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, attracts pollinators.

Yarrow

Appearance: Feathery foliage with flat-topped clusters of flowers in various colors.

Size: Generally 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Medicinal herb, ornamental plant, attracts beneficial insects.

Stonecrop

Appearance: Succulent leaves and clusters of star-shaped flowers.

Size: Varies by species, but generally low-growing and spreading, ranging from a few inches to 2 feet in height.

Uses: Ornamental plant, ground cover, some species have medicinal properties.

Rosemary

Appearance: Aromatic, needle-like leaves on woody stems with small blue flowers.

Size: Can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, aromatic properties, traditional medicinal uses.

Agave

Appearance: Large succulent with sharp, spiky leaves arranged in a rosette shape.

Size: Can grow up to 6 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible flower stalks, medicinal properties in traditional herbal remedies.

Yucca

Appearance: Sword-like leaves forming a clump with tall flower spikes.

Size: Typically 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible flowers and fruit, soap-making from root fibers.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Appearance: Thick, succulent pads with spines and showy flowers.

Size: Various species, but commonly 3 to 6 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible fruit (prickly pear), medicinal properties in traditional medicine.

Lavender

Appearance: Fragrant, grayish-green foliage with spikes of purple flowers.

Size: Typically 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, essential oil production, herbal medicine.

Sage

Appearance: Gray-green leaves with purple-blue flowers on upright stems.

Size: Typically 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, medicinal properties in traditional medicine.

Rockrose

Appearance: Evergreen shrub with showy, papery flowers in various colors.

Size: Varies by species, generally 2 to 5 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, aromatic properties in potpourri.

Maximizing Water Conservation in the Garden

If you’ve already implemented drought tolerant plants into your sustainable garden design and set up a rainwater harvesting system, the next thing you should consider is if there is anywhere that you can add mulch to your garden.

Mulch acts as a protective layer over the soil, reducing evaporation and slowing down water loss. It helps to keep the soil consistently moist by preventing water from quickly evaporating under the sun and wind. Mulch creates a barrier that inhibits weed growth. Weeds compete with garden plants for water, so by suppressing their growth, mulch helps reduce water loss by minimizing competition for moisture. It acts as an insulating layer, moderating soil temperature fluctuations. It keeps the soil cooler during hot weather, reducing water evaporation, and warmer during colder periods, promoting root health and water absorption, and helps to prevent soil erosion by reducing the impact of heavy rainfall on the soil surface. It absorbs and disperses the force of falling water, preventing runoff and allowing water to infiltrate the soil more effectively.

Organic mulches, such as compost, break down over time and improve the soil structure. This enhances the soil's water-holding capacity, allowing it to retain moisture for longer periods and reducing the need for frequent watering, and when water is applied to the garden, mulch helps to slow down the flow and absorption of water, preventing runoff. This allows the plants to utilize more of the water provided, reducing water waste.

To maximize the water-saving benefits of mulch, it is essential to apply an adequate layer (2 to 4 inches) around plants, leaving space around the stem to prevent moisture-related issues. Additionally, selecting organic mulch materials, such as wood chips, straw, or compost, provides the added advantage of improving soil health over time.

I encourage you to take action in the fight against climate change by incorporating these elements into your landscape design to save water, reduce your environmental impact, and create a healthier ecosystem!

No More Over or Under Watered Plants: A Comprehensive Guide to Watering Your Garden

The Cottage Peach is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are our own.

We’ve talked a lot about creating systems in your garden to grow more food even with chronic pain and fatigue, and you can find lots more of my tips on that by clicking here. But I wanted to dive deep into how to water plants with chronic illness today because - at least for me - watering plants has been a huge struggle. Unwieldy hoses and heavy watering cans plus the time required just standing there combined with the fact that skipping a day of watering in the hot and dry season because you aren’t feeling well isn’t really an option leads to this being a constant source of stress. The good news is that there are many different ways to water your plants no matter your budget or energy levels.

How to Water Plants

Knowing how and when to water your plants in your garden sounds scarier than it is, I promise! While some plants may have more specific watering requirements, as a general rule you want to keep the soil consistently damp throughout the germination process, and then once your plants are established you’ll wait for the soil to begin to dry out during the growing season.

• Utilize mulching to prevent water loss due to surface evaporation

• Concentrate your watering at the base of the plant

• Confirm the soil isn’t already damp first

• Water in the morning, so excess moisture can evaporate in the sun

When to water plants

Water infrequently but deeply in the morning to encourage resilient plants - 1” of water once per week. A 10-foot soaker hose (the kind with a spray nozzle) will release 6 gallons of water per foot in an hour’s time. For 1” of water coverage, you’ll need to run the hose for about 45 minutes.

How to water in-ground gardens

The best hack for watering in-ground gardens is mulch. Mulch will hold that moisture in so it doesn’t evaporate from the soil in hot dry weather. Once your plants are established (usually a couple of weeks after transplanting or about a month after direct sowing) in ground gardens are pretty self-sustaining in terms of water. During heat waves I will water once a day, but other than that as long as we’re getting some rain once a week or so I won’t water established in ground gardens much at all. Of course your plants will tell you if they are thirsty too by drooping, and if you don’t mulch at all things will be very different - this is when you’ll need to watch out for hydrophobic soil (see more info on that below)

How to water raised bed gardens

Standard raised bed gardens that are in contact with the soil underneath will need slightly more attention in watering than an in-ground bed since the growing soil is elevated slightly. Drip irrigation or olla watering systems work really well in raised beds, or you can follow the tips listed above.  (click here to learn more about ollas)

How to water container gardens

Container gardens are notorious for drying out very quickly. You will need to water container gardens at least once per day - in a heat wave, sometimes twice per day. Raised beds that are elevated off of the ground like mine fall into the container garden category as well and benefit hugely from automatic watering systems like the irrigation trays included with my raised beds or the olla watering system shown here.

Is it true that you shouldn’t get leaves wet when watering your plants?

I’m sure you’re wondering how you’re supposed to completely avoid getting the leaves of your plants wet while watering. The fact is, some plants (especially squash) are more susceptible to diseases that thrive in damp environments like powdery mildew. This doesn’t stop the rain from falling on your plants however, so I wouldn’t worry too much about avoiding any water getting on the leaves unless you are having an especially damp season (in which case, don’t water anyway!)

What is hydrophobic soil?

Hydrophobic soil occurs when a waxy residue builds up on the soil particles resulting in it repelling water rather than absorbing it. This can happen if you do not water consistently, or you don’t use mulching to protect the surface layer of your soil from drying out. You can tell that soil has become hydrophobic because the water will bead up and not soak into the earth normally. You can also confirm your soil is hydrophobic by digging down an inch or two beneath the soil after watering. The surface may look damp, but underneath the soil will be completely dry.

How to fix hydrophobic soil

The easiest way to correct hydrophobic soil is to amend it with nutrient rich compost. However, you most likely won’t be fixing the soil that is hydrophobic - you’re really just slowly replacing the soil that has gone “bad” by mixing in fresh new soil that can encourage better absorption.

My favorite low energy watering techniques

Water your garden with Ollas

Olla (pronounced oya) means “pot” in Spanish, but the concept of using ollas as an irrigation system goes back thousands of years and has been used in countless cultures around the world. An olla self watering system for plants is basically any type of unglazed clay pot that is buried beneath the soil with only a small amount sticking up above the surface and filled with water. You can tell that a pot is unglazed because it will be that classic terracotta red color with no shiny finish, glaze or paint. The water then leeches out of tiny holes or “pores” in the unglazed clay and is pulled through the soil to the roots of your thirsty plants using a process called soil moisture tension. This functions much the same way as osmosis, in that the water is trying to equalize to a certain level of moisture within the soil. This means your soil will never become overwatered either - if the soil is moist, the water stays in the pot until it is needed. 

Olla pots reduce wasted water by about seventy percent, since most of the moisture is held underground and not lost to surface evaporation. This is a huge savings over traditional watering methods and means you can significantly reduce your water consumption in our drought-prone climate. This will lower your water bill as well as make your garden more environmentally friendly! They are also perfect for watering plants on vacation.

Olla pots also help you to grow happier and healthier plants. The root systems in your plants will also be healthier, as they reach out towards the underground water the roots will become larger and sturdier, keeping your plants from falling over. Most importantly, plants that are watered at the soil level are less prone to infection with certain fungal diseases that thrive in damp environments, since the leaves of your plants will not get wet as often. Because of the soil moisture tension phenomenon, your plants will also never be overwatered.

You can click here for my favorite ready-made ollas you can buy or click here for instructions on how to DIY your own.

Water your garden with drip irrigation

Drip irrigation combined with a timer will give you the most hands-off automatic watering for plants. You can truly just set it and forget it, leaving you free to focus your energy on garden tasks you enjoy. These systems run the gamut from complex DIY builds to custom built configurations, but for a ready made option I recommend this Garden Row Snip-n-Drip Soaker System. With this system you can easily create a customized watering system for rows of plants. The kit includes everything you need to water up to four 25' rows, and only takes about an hour to set it up at the beginning of the season. This way you can apply water just where you want it — and not where you don't. You can customize this convenient soaker hose system to suit your vegetable garden or any garden planted in rows. No special tools are required — just use scissors to cut the hoses to the sizes you need. Snap the fittings in place and you're ready to water. The weeping action of soaker hoses delivers water right to the roots, with minimal loss due to evaporation and runoff. Soaker hoses use up to 80% less water than sprinklers!

Water your garden with rainwater

Rainwater collection is an excellent option especially in drought prone areas. This is the rain barrel we use in our garden - the authentic oak barrel texture is molded into each plastic rain barrel and will not fade, rot or risk insect infestation. The unique flat back design allows the rain barrel to sit flush against any wall and is equipped with a durable brass spigot with hose hook-up as well as a screen to keep out debris and insects. Manufactured from rotomolded polyethylene, this rain barrel is impact resistant and UV stabilized to eliminate fading. Don’t forget a stand to elevate your rain barrel so you can have good water pressure to your hose and fill up your watering can easily.

Water your garden with sprinklers

Sprinklers are a great hands-off watering method. Try this Hi-Rise Lifetime Brass Sprinkler. In an age of plastic, one-season sprinklers, you'll appreciate these no-nonsense sprinklers built to last a lifetime, made of coated steel and solid brass. The jet nozzle creates a 360° spray of fine droplets without the need for failure-prone moving parts. Spiked base has a foot tread to make placement easy, and a second fitting so you can connect two sprinklers end-to-end with a feeder hose.

I hope these tips on how to water your garden were helpful. Gardening with chronic pain or fatigue doesn’t have to be harder with a little planning. How do you water your garden? Let me know in the comments!