How much to water your garden plants?
I was just cruising around the internet (my mother would say I was “wasting time”) and found a great article on how much water a garden really needs, and how to protect your soil from moisture loss!
http://www.alternet.org/water/140433/save_water_by_learning_how_much_your_plants_really_need/
A small excerpt:
“If a garden’s soil is rich with humus, the decomposing organic matter will absorb water like a sponge and hold in the moisture, making it available to growing plants. Mulching also makes for moist soil, because it prevents the evaporation of water from the ground’s surface. That’s why, in American Intensive Gardening, we grow plants close together to form a living mulch. Just like a miniature rainforest, the canopy of leaves shades the soil, keeping it cooler and reducing moisture loss through evaporation.”
