Gardening with Less Water: Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques; Use up to 90% Less Water in Your Garden

by David A. Bainbridge

Gardening with Less Water introduces gardeners to simple low-cost, low-tech techniques -- using terra-cotta pipes, wicks, and recycled plastic bottles -- that are up to 10 times more efficient than traditional watering methods.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Plants, Environment, Reference, Sustainability, Nature

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Born in New York state in 1948, but raised in the western US, David A. Bainbridge is a restoration ecologist, and has degrees in earth science and ecology from UC San Diego and UC Davis. His other interests include solar energy, straw bale construction, environmental economics, and bears.

Reviews

[Aaron G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are we not more serious about using less water? What will it take to make us be a little bit smarter about water usage?

I don't know about you but water is pretty important to me and yet I know I could still get so much better with lowering my water use.

Books like this help us learn better ways to lighten up on our use of this precious resource. I'd like to say I read it all in one sitting but I took my time to read through it slowly and understand how I could have better used water, and harvested rainwater, in my previous yards.

This book had a lot of good information though I found it a bit dry (sorry) and I wished there were more examples for me to follow.

There are many other important books out there to read as well such as Brad Lancaster's, Rainwater Harvesting For Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks. Lets' face it even a balcony can be a dryland.

Also websites such as insideurbangreen.org teach us more about the importance of SIPs (sub-irrigated planters) and there are commercial planters out there like Earthboxes that every balcony gardener should try to have or emulate (EarthTainer anyone?).

Now I'm thirsty and I may just go throw a bucket on my balcony to gather some of the rain that is falling today. Nice.

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chanced upon this book by pure luck, while waiting for a movie at the local library to begin. Lucky me. With an excellent concept and a very concise outline, I was able to immediately put the "less water" process into place for one of my gardening projects.

Born into drought in Italy, raised in a drought in Australia, emigrated to a drought-ridden American state...I think my middle name is "drought". So any technique that can be used to enhance the water usage in my gardening activities is always helpful. This book is such a find, more so that I now live in the low desert so my previous success with rain harvesting doesn't apply here. Instead, I must focus on the transport of water to the roots of my plants, so they can survive the incredibly hot summers.

By combining native plants with a better water delivery system, I might just have some foliage survive for my bird friends and parched lizards. For me, the big takeaway from this book was the Olla, which are buried clay pots, and deep pipes. Both provide an easy way to get moisture to shrubs and trees, in comparatively easy fashion.





The chapters are broken out logically and there is a supplier section at the end to make the product hunt a very simple process. Perfect for anyone who wants to conserve water while still having a garden that is lush and effective.

Book Season = Year Round (resilience)

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Netgalley for a Review:

This book is awesomesauce! Ok, some backstory, I have lived in two different places that were slammed with record setting droughts, one of these places was intelligent and placed water bans and regulations, the other place did not. I was disgusted by people watering their lawns, sprinkler systems in business lawns going on for hours, all the while I was hearing reports on how the prices of produce was planned to skyrocket and farmers were struggling to water their crops. At the time I was asked to take care of a friend's garden and lawn while their were away and it was morally objectionable to water them with a hose and sprinkler, so I watered it all with grey water...even then it seemed like such a waste of water.

So when browsing for books to read on Netgalley I absolutely knew I had to read this book, the idea of using 90% less water while keeping plants alive just sounds awesome. And it is! The techniques put forward are not only really easy to implement, they are usually pretty inexpensive. I plan on using the clay pot method for my tea plant and for container gardening.

I have read quite a few books on gardening and I can say that this book needs to be one that you read if you are a gardener or getting into gardening!

[Jane Dugger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[John (JP) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gardening is not something I'm interested in. I read the book to see if the techniques written about could be used by my friends who love to live in dry climates. I have compared notes with my friends who are gardeners and they give the book their seal of approval. The one regret is that the book is not available in foreign languages. The commerce language of most the 3rd world is French and this book is only in English.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very resourceful book on how to have a productive garden with less water. You will want to read this prior to your gardening season as many of the methods require prework, and planning. Not easy or possible to set once you have your garden in place.

[Janis Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Storey Publishing for providing me with a free ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review.

Living in the Adelaide Hills as I do, this is the perfect book of gardening advice for my area. We are a dry, arid area for most of the year and our climate soars into the low to mid 40’s Celsius in the summer and drops to just below zero Celsius in the winter. It is a hot, dry place for most of the year and wanting to keep a garden for ourselves, as well as the native animals, birds and insects while not paying through the roof for water is hard. Which is why I wanted to read ‘Gardening with less water’ and why I absolutely LOVED it! I want an Olla… actually I want several! Hubby was reading the ARC over my shoulder a lot and we have some odds and ends around the gardening we hope to play with shortly to see how we can improve our garden on less water – all thanks to this book.

To list some of the great information I got from this book, the first few chapters explore the different ways to water plants. You have your olla, wick, drip feed and so much more. And as much as I enjoyed the step by step instructions on how to make these watering devices out of objects readily at hand, I do wish they discussed grey water more. As in, which forms of watering in this section were better suited to the use of grey water, and which weren’t? Yes the use of grey water was touched in chapters later, and sometimes almost mentioned during the different types of water saving devices… but not enough for me to feel comfortable in using it with any of the new devices except maybe in deep pipe irrigation system.

Chapter eleven is well worth a read too as, although not precisely set for the Australian climate, it was a wealth of knowledge on how to study your garden, climate and micro climates within your garden and figure out which water saving techniques best suited. From small patio pot plants through to farming, this chapter covered it all and it is the chapter I can see myself going over again each time I plan something new in my garden to ensure I’m getting it right.

I will say now that the reason I didn’t give the full 5 stars is two-fold. One part is it wasn’t a book set for the Australian climates (my fault, I chose to read it knowing it was based in the USA) and the second reason being South Australia is already pretty water savings savvy so there were areas of the book that told me things I already knew. We have a saying here in South Australia: When it rains you don’t need an umbrella, you need yet another rain water tank! We harvest as much as we can, especially as there are many farms and towns surrounding my own that still don’t use mains water and the people living their survive only on what the rains bring. Other than that, this book was fantastic.

Would I recommend this book for others? Yes, absolutely yes! As the book says in chapter twelve – water conservation should start in our own homes, streets, schools, towns, etc. And ‘Gardening with less water’ is a perfect book of advice, guidance and inspiration to get that happening everywhere!

Would I buy this book for myself? Despite it not being an Australia book, yes. There is just so much information to be gained from this book that can be used here in my hills; I wouldn’t need to seek out a book based in Australia to replace it. It is perfect the way it is and such an inspiration to get the whole world saving water on small and grand scales alike.

In summary: We, the world, need this book. Little things combined can make big differences and with a book like ‘Gardening with less water’ to guide us we can help save water and help bring the world back to life. Water conservation isn’t just better for the environment either. It is better for us as it can allow us to grow more of our own food and it’s better for our budgets if all we want to do is have a lush, green garden while using far less water. I’m adding this book to my Amazon wish list I love it so much and I highly recommend it to everyone!

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the rains have come back to Texas, the long term drought to the west, especially in California, continues with devastating effects. The issue of water is going to have to change as climate change continues to cause environmental problems. While one can plant landscapes that feature native plants in terms of grasses and some flowering plants, the issue with vegetables and fruits that need water to survive and thrive is a bit more complex. Those kinds of plants absolutely have to have water. The new book “Gardening With Less Water” by David A Bainbridge outlines some possibilities regarding the delivery of water to the plants.

“Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques” that will allow you to “Use Up To 90% Less Water In Your Garden” is prominently splashed across the cover of this small paper back. Also prominently displayed is a clay pot inserted into the ground between carrot and potato plants. Putting clay pots and other devices below the surface of the ground to deliver water is the primary theme of this book.

After an introduction that details the water crisis in text and pictures, the book broken into two parts. Part One covers “Super- Efficient Irrigation Systems” and begins on page 14 with a brief overview on the topic. “The key to minimizing eater use is to get water to the plant just as it is needed with little or no loss to evaporation and runoff.” (Page 17)

Part of that is the aforementioned technique of burying clay pots into the ground. The buried pots in the form of gourds or wide mouthed clay pots can be used either to hold water or to hold the plant in the ground. By burying the pot to the top or very near the top one can water the planet in the pot and contain most of the water to that immediate vicinity. The pot tends to stay wet longer when buried in soil and thus restrains moisture around the plant. Obviously, the clay pots should be porous, not glazed, and in their natural state without wax or paint, that would interfere with the technique. More tips for this technique can be found on pages 22 and 23.

Along with suggesting ways of using clay pots inside of bigger clay pots for those of us apartment and condo owners where space is very limited, the author how to effectively garden with, porous hoses, porous capsules (such as bottles and flasks among others), deep pipe irrigation, wicks, and more. A number of different techniques are explained in detail by text and photographs so that you can use one or more ways of addressing your personal landscaping situation.

The various techniques and ideas lead into “Part Two: Taking It To The Next Level.” Starting on page 78 the author gives tips on how to water wisely as well as advice on how to use your landscape to contain water by way of plants, rain barrels, grid gardening, and more. Included in this section are tips on how to develop a water garden plan for your particular situation. Beyond your personal situation in terms of your landscaping, the author suggests ways to encourage change with your local governmental policy makers at all levels.

The book concludes with an appendix, an acknowledgments page, a 2 page list of suppliers and their contact info, and a 3 page index.

At 130 pages Gardening With Less Water by David A Bainbridge is a short, but extremely informative book. Through pictures and text the book details how one can take very small steps to conserve water as well as how to upscale info significant savings. Detailed and comprehensive Gardening With Less Water is a well done source that explains how you can do your part to save our precious resource.

Gardening With Less Water
David A Bainbridge
Storey Publishing
http://www.storey.com
Dec 2015
ISBN# 978-1-61212-582-4
Paperback (also available in eBook)
$14.95
130 Pages


Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

[Kait McNamee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhh, okay. I liked the techniques offered in this book. It covers quite a few. But it lacks a lot of detail, specifically regarding sources and proven techniques. Throwing some "this has been used for 2,000 years!" anecdotal information in the book is fine, but relying on it as the sole source of proving a technique isn't going to convince me to use it. Even if some methods are currently being researched, tell me that instead of being all "this olla will totally work." I don't need spreadsheets that show me increased yields or whatever, but I do need more than just saying it'll work. I've been to lectures on rain gardening that were more in-depth than this book.

[Penmouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gardening with Less Water discusses the importance of water conservation and ways you can save water when gardening. The author David Brainbridge says there is an impending water shortage and supplies a graph for the Western North American Precipitation, 1900 to 2100 that shows a drop in precipitation in 2020 and worsens by 2100. The graph is based on the 2013 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Models, according to the author. Whether or not you believe in climate change and increasing drought, it never hurts to practice good water conservation principles.

With that in mind Gardening with Less Water provides ideas and tips on how to use garden water saving techniques such as drip watering or clay pots. He also discusses water-wise gardening tips and at the end of his book you will find a list of resources to help implement your water-wise garden.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

[Christine Kenney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important topic, helpful diagrams, could have been 12 pages vs. 120.

This seemed like a rehash of Bill Mollison's Permaculture a Designer's Manual and Art Ludwig's Create an Oasis with Greywater. That said, if you want a quick intro to jump start your next gardening project, this one will do the trick with a much smaller time commitment.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent info, but nothing particularly innovative

[Kelsey Atherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because the scale of climate change overwhelmed me, and I wanted to feel like I was doing something besides having panic attacks on twitter.

Despite being written in 2015, it is light on discussion of what is to be done about capital-C Climate Change at scale. The focus here is all on the individual, or the small community. But for my needs, that's mostly okay: I am interested in how humans make scarcity survivable, even and especially in deserts, and finding a way to learn even a little something that might be worthwhile in that sense in the event of sweeping societal collapse/transformation.

So: planting with clay pots. I hope to start it soon, I want to learn how to use plants as carbon capture, and I want to do it even in the desert, where resources are taxed thin.

Given that this is first and foremost a technical manual, I should note that it excells in explaining the techniques and their value in plain language and with clear art.

Here's an example of the close-in focus of the sort of political/societal action recommended. From the text: "But it all starts one home at a time. Once you have your super-­efficient irrigation systems in place and feel good about how they work, talk to your neighbors; invite them over to see for themselves. Tell the local newspaper and TV station about it. Help ensure that water-wise gardening and rainwater harvesting are encouraged, not outlawed."

It feels very like a piece written before the 2018 IPCC report, which is what it is. To the extejt that there is a call to action, it starts with the individual and then urges calling the state to better manage grants and incentives. (The both Colorado and Utah have water laws that claim a state monopoly on rainwater might fuel some of the decision to focus on outcomes and incentives rather than sweeping moves.)

Still, it feels like even the most full-throated calls to action are out of step with the scale of resource savings and possibility promised by the techniques in the book.

"I would suggest full-cost coverage for the first system in each neighborhood if the owner agrees to hold a “show and tell” at least twice a year for three years. Seeing is believing!" is as policy prescriptive as it gets.

This could have been more radical, and the last paragraph of the last chapter hits at both the scale of the problem and the necessity of action.

"Super-efficient irrigation and rainwater harvesting can, and must, play a major role in a more sustainable water future. This future is ours to make. With care and attention, even the most degraded yard or wasteland can be brought back to health and will produce a sustainable yield of food, forage, and beauty."

I wish more of the book had been about that, but it's also a lot to ask gardeners to be a green revolutionary vanguard. As it is, it did leave me wanting to garden, and that the scale of a small garden in the desert is a problem I could tackle.

[Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas. A lot of big claims.

Water savings of up to 90% with the same yields? Prove it. The water used by plants is called evapotranspiration (ET), a term that I think is mentioned once in the book, a term that any irrigation professional would be familiar with. Evapotranspiration is evaporation from the soil plus transpiration. These techniques may prevent some evaporation, but transpiration is what is lost through the leaves of the plants, and this is mostly unaffected by the method of irrigation.

On the other hand, the term "super-efficient irrigation" is used extensively in this book. This is apparently a term that he came up with as a catch-all for all the various methods he describes, many of which are traditional, primitive methods of irrigation. These methods are certainly worthy of study, but he dismisses modern technological advances such as drip irrigation in favor of these more traditional methods.

Some of these older methods, such as wicks, have already been incorporated into modern systems such as self-watering containers and drip lines with wicking mats attached to them.

He lost me when he devoted a chapter to porous hose. This product distributes water in a very non-uniform manner, not a very efficient method of irrigation. This stuff is pretty much junk, in my opinion, compared to modern drip irrigation products.

Ollas are interesting. Probably something fun to try out in a small garden. I think not very practical on a large scale.

The gist of this book is like saying we want to reduce the use of fossil fuels, so we should all go back to plowing with mules.

[Renée Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this from the point of view of a gardener newbie who has three 8’ by 8’ boxes… this is not helpful. Mr. Bainbridge didn’t actually explain the science behind any of the methods, just that they’re more efficient: okay, so I stick an olla in the ground and then what? How does the water get to the plant? Like it seeps out, yes, I get that, but he says it seeps out at a different rate depending on how much water the plants need, but how does it know? What does that even mean? Just so many questions like that through the entire book. I don’t know how any of these things work, because he never explains any of them.

He also never mentions the labor or cost that would go into implementing such systems. Yes, they may save water, but at what point do I see a return on my investment? If it’s 20 years down the road because it’s so expensive to implement a water-saving system, that’s not helpful to me.

The target audience for this book seems to be farmers, not home gardeners—at one point he mentions feeding slugs to the ducks. What ducks? I live in the middle of suburbia, sir, there are zero ducks here. It’s fine if gardeners are his target audience, but it would be useful to specify that clearly so people like me don’t waste time trying to understand what is being said when it doesn’t apply.

This was my first book about gardening with less water, and I can already tell you it’s definitely not the best book out there. I’ll keep looking.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we hit 40 straight days of 100°+ weather in Texas, anyone with outdoor plants or gardens are struggling to keep everything from becoming crispy. This book was recommended in a local gardening group and I’m really glad I got it - it gives a fairly comprehensive yet brief overview of several methods of watering you can set up for your garden, and provides guides for how to DIY with available supplies you can find at any local garden center.


I just set up a few of the different methods from the book and look forward to seeing if they help my struggling plants make it through the summer heat. I don’t expect our summers to get any cooler in future years so it’s a great starter book to learn more about efficient ways to water and ultimately helps you keep a garden while conserving our most precious resource.

[JAMES KEDDIE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to the Future for a Sustainable Life and Exquisite Meals

With drought conditions showing up everywhere, Gardening with Less Water, discusses numerous methods of growing more flowers, herbs, vegetables, shrubs and trees with far less water then we currently use. The books shows simple effective methods for a variety of situations, clear instructions for building the solution, and lots of good data to help set appropriate expectations. A must read for home gardening and urban farming.

[Diane Bryden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers many great ideas for dealing with drought and getting water to your garden and plantings. I read it piecemeal and I still refer to it when I am trying to figure out a solution to a problem with my garden. I have even been experimenting with use of cloth wicks and ollas in a garden space planted in small hills. This book has been a good tool for thinking outside the box in case you want to grow food and herbs in an urban garden in very bad drought conditions.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and straight to the point with clear instructions on how to implement water-saving irrigation systems into pots, gardens and farms. The author doesn’t overcomplicate things, which I really like. Also enjoyed the section at the end about how everyone can spread awareness of water conservation strategies.If you live in a place which ever experiences dry periods, this book is worth a read.

[Zahnii (Suzanne) Artis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fascinating, especially as we become more and more exposed to droughts, with climate change. There were so many techniques that can be used in individual home gardens. I especially liked the terra-cotta clay pots just being buried for water and irrigation. I learned that “ollas” are clay pots that are sort of bottle shaped, and then you water them from the top. The water seeps through the walls of the part.

[Jean Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good all=purpose approach for home gardeners and market gardeners on the use of the ancient practice of burying pots with water to minimize the use of water by applying it directly to the roots underground, where it will not be subject to evaporation. Clearly explains how to set up various forms of this technique, from very simple to medium scale DIY systems.

[Michelle Steffens · Rating 5 out of 5]

practical guide on how to save water in gardening and landscaping

i enjoyed the background and short history on water conservation in gardening and landscaping. David’s advice on soaker hoses and capsule usage will come in handy for my container gardens :)

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Information packed, and aimed at more arid climates but I think there are things that water-conscious northerners can definitely use here...just be mindful of winter freezes and how that can impact terra cotta (you couldn't leave that stuff inground I don't think).

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

at a much higher level of gardening than what I am up for and probably hard to think about with my small patio container garden -but a review of the theories and concepts as well as practical tips and approaches. Something to comeback to.

[Joanne McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

We do have to stop taking water for granted. Teaching kids to garden in an environment friendly way will go a long way in reducing climate change denial.

Like the old proverb says, ‘We do not own the land, we are borrowing it from our children.’

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations and explanations about how to use some ancient methods to conserve water in the garden. I especially like that the methods are adaptable to containers, not just farm land and gardens.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT RESOURCE!!!

I am SO glad that I got this book. I live in the desert region of Southern California and love to garden sustainably. This book gave me so many ideas. I have now DIY’ed some ollas and will be trying them in the garden this year!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I will have to buy or borrow from the library repeatedly. The ideas in this book are simple and easy to implement, and the book includes ways to upsize their use for larger scales! The diagrams are very useful. It even contains pottery information for making ollas.

[Lesley Hooser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the ideas in this book, plus I am currently trying these ideas and they seem to be working, but we have not encountered the Arizona summer yet. I will report back after that

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talks about buried clay pots which I hadn't heard of before. There were many techniques but most were not detailed enough to be practically useful