- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
- Messages
- 127
- Climate
- Temperate (all seasons)
I have been struggling with this for years now. I live in an area that is known for very dry summers, with drought conditions in summer for many years now. I have a well, so as long as I have power, I have water, at least unless the water table drops precipitously. I am also looking into having a new well drilled, as the one I have doesn't produce well, despite being deepened twice. I am also looking into a solar powered pump. But in the spirit of self-sufficiency, I have been trying to figure out what I would do if the well ran out and/or the power went out and that water was no longer accessible.
I have rain catchment systems, and we get a decent amount of rain in winter/spring, but I can store only about 6,000 gallons, all told, which is great in a short term disaster, but would not be enough to keep me, the livestock, and the garden going for very long in the 100+F days of summer.
Does anyone have any good information related to keeping a garden and fruit trees alive under strict water conservation guidelines? I would love to try it now, while I can still experiment, rather than have to try it when/if it becomes critical. (Not to mention it would keep the power bill down as I wouldn't be drawing from the well as much.) I feel like I have covered all other aspects of self-providing, as I have large producing gardens, several dozens of various fruit trees, shrubs, etc, chickens, "free" firewood (at least for the foreseeable future), a wood stove, and dry goods that will sustain me for at least a year. But the weak link in the chain is water. No naturally occurring bodies close enough to use, and the current well is very deep, so I am thinking manually drawing it out would not work, so my only options are to store it.
I should mention that I already use tree bags for the fruit trees and have been very happy with those. They shade the trunks while also delivering water in a slow drip. I find I have to fill them only about weekly in the hottest part of summer. I also have olla jars in the perennial beds.
I have rain catchment systems, and we get a decent amount of rain in winter/spring, but I can store only about 6,000 gallons, all told, which is great in a short term disaster, but would not be enough to keep me, the livestock, and the garden going for very long in the 100+F days of summer.
Does anyone have any good information related to keeping a garden and fruit trees alive under strict water conservation guidelines? I would love to try it now, while I can still experiment, rather than have to try it when/if it becomes critical. (Not to mention it would keep the power bill down as I wouldn't be drawing from the well as much.) I feel like I have covered all other aspects of self-providing, as I have large producing gardens, several dozens of various fruit trees, shrubs, etc, chickens, "free" firewood (at least for the foreseeable future), a wood stove, and dry goods that will sustain me for at least a year. But the weak link in the chain is water. No naturally occurring bodies close enough to use, and the current well is very deep, so I am thinking manually drawing it out would not work, so my only options are to store it.
I should mention that I already use tree bags for the fruit trees and have been very happy with those. They shade the trunks while also delivering water in a slow drip. I find I have to fill them only about weekly in the hottest part of summer. I also have olla jars in the perennial beds.