Welcome Summer!

Summertime! 

I'm one of those moms who actually loves summer break. I love letting my kids sleep in rather than trying to drag them out of bed every morning (when I am also tired and completely empathize with their lack of motivation!). I love that we can stay up later doing family movies, game nights, and going to the local amusement park together.

I also love summer mornings. I start most mornings and end most evenings with a check on my garden. I'm trying some new crops this year (carrots and potatoes). Last year, I grew watermelon and cantaloupe for the first time. I got two big watermelons off my vines, and seven or eight cantaloupes. They were all DELICIOUS! We also love to grow pumpkins every year for decorating and Jack-O-Lanterns in the Fall. 


We are in our second year of a severe drought, and this year our irrigation water restrictions are even more strict. Only one day per week to water the entire yard, and for only 40 minutes. Ergh!

I've got my DIY rain barrels set up to collect as much as I can whenever it rains (which isn't much these days). So, still hoping for some good storms before the heat of July kicks in. 

So...as we did last year, we are starting our "bucket project" again for the summer. The bucket project involves using our gray water to help with the outside growing.

I have placed a bucket in my shower and we have a bucket in the bathtub as well (that is removed while we are using the tub). There is a small bowl or other water catcher in the bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks. Every time we wash hands, brush teeth, etc...this water is collected in the bowls and dumped into the bucket. Additionally, overspray from the shower is collected in the shower bucket, and the plug is put down in the tub anytime anyone showers in the tub, collecting all the gray water. Then, we carry the buckets of gray water outside and dump them on the lawn, or my roses, lilacs, trees, and any non-food item that needs water.

Since we stopped wasting irrigation water on the lawns so I could water the vegetable garden and my flower baskets, the gray water works well for that. 

Another use is to scoop up a bucket of the gray water and use it to flush the toilet rather than using the house culinary water with the regular toilet flush.
(I've actually kept my shower bucket in the shower through the winter and used it for toilet flushes several times per week. Why not save the water?).
Anyway - that is our effort for water conservation in addition to my rain barrels. I'll be working at removing lawn and replacing with water-wise plantings over the next few years (but we're not all made of money are we?). :) 

A note on the bucket project: My mother and my friend both found that the gray water was killing their potted flowers. I'm not sure why. We did not have that trouble. But, you might want to consider this if you use particular types of shampoos, soaps, or maybe salt from a water softener (which we don't have). 

A note on rain barrels: Don't convert white barrels into water storage. You get algae with the mix of sun and standing water. (Lessons learned!) I've since had these white barrels cut in half width-wise so I can use them for planters instead. :)






If you want to hear how I made my DIY rain barrels, I was a guest on the Carrotgal Sister Chats podcast a few months ago. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3VnRpXgKI&t=3s