Watering your garden is essential, but it can also get expensive, especially during dry spells. Over the course of a growing season, your water bill can add up to hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways to reduce your watering costs while keeping your garden healthy and thriving.
How to Assess Your Garden’s Watering Costs
Before you can lower your water bill, it’s important to understand how much you’re spending. Here’s how to break it down:
- Measure water usage: Attach a water meter to your outdoor spigot. Water your garden as usual, then check how many gallons you’ve used. To calculate the cost, divide the number of gallons by 1,000 and multiply that by your local water price per 1,000 gallons (you can find this on your water bill).
- Calculate lawn watering costs: Lawns typically need about one inch of water per week. It takes 0.62 gallons to cover one square foot of lawn with an inch of water. Multiply the square footage of your lawn by 0.62 to find how many gallons you need. Then, multiply that by your water rate to get the cost.
- Total watering costs: Add up the costs for your lawn and garden to see how much it’s costing you each season.
9 Tips to Lower Your Water Bill
- Mulch to Retain Moisture Adding mulch around your plants helps keep the soil moist by reducing evaporation. It also helps regulate soil temperature and prevents weeds from taking over.
- Add Compost Compost helps improve soil structure, allowing it to hold water better. It also helps prevent soil from hardening, which can reduce water absorption. Compost is especially useful during summer droughts, as it helps reduce plant stress.
- Water in the Morning Early morning is the best time to water, as plants can absorb the water before the heat of the day. This also helps prevent fungal diseases. If you can’t water in the morning, evening is your second-best option—but water directly at the root zone to avoid wetting the foliage.
- Reconsider Your Lawn Lawns are water-intensive, especially during dry spells. Consider replacing part or all of your lawn with drought-tolerant plants or alternatives like gravel or low-water groundcovers. This can drastically reduce the amount of water your garden needs.
- Use an Efficient Irrigation System A good irrigation system, like drip irrigation or micro-irrigation, delivers water directly to plant roots, reducing evaporation and runoff. Drip systems are highly efficient and reduce water wastage.
- Water Deeply, Less Often Deep watering encourages plants to grow deeper roots, which are better at accessing moisture from lower in the soil. Water for longer periods but less frequently to promote deep root growth.
- Fix Irrigation Leaks Leaky irrigation systems waste water and raise your bills. Regularly inspect your system to catch leaks early. Check each zone for leaks or flooding, and replace damaged parts.
- Choose Drought-Tolerant Plants Native and drought-tolerant plants need far less water than traditional garden plants. Look for species that thrive in your climate and require minimal watering, such as sedum, agastache, and sage.
- Harvest Rainwater Setting up a rainwater collection system can significantly reduce your water bill. Use gutters and downspouts to collect rainwater in barrels or storage tanks. Not only is rainwater free, but it’s also naturally pure and free of chemicals like chlorine, making it great for plants.
By following these tips, you can keep your garden lush and healthy without breaking the bank on water costs.
