Gardening

How to conserve water on your property

There are many ways you can conserve water on your property.

Dollars and sense

Be water wise and save money by:

• Using a sprinkling device or soaker hose instead of straight from your residential water meter
• Watering your average-sized lawn once a week throughout a four-to-six-week drought period instead of replacing a dead lawn that costs more and requires more watering
• Consider watering your mature trees through a long period drought to save money replacing and watering a new tree

Trees and shrubs

To keep your trees and shrubs healthy while managing your water usage, consider:

• Newly planted trees and shrubs need frequent water until they are well rooted
• You can slowly reduce the amount of water as the tree grows
• Water your well-established trees and shrubs when there is a prolonged drought

Lawns and gardens

To keep your lawn green while conserving water, consider:

• Water can be lost due to runoff and evaporation so use a watering system that delivers water slowly directly into the soil (i.e., soaker hose or drip system)
• Use a 10 cm depth of mulch over your soil so water is not lost by evaporation (i.e., organic materials such as bark chips, shredded leaves or grass clippings or use inorganic material like pea gravel, crushed brick or pebbles)
• Don't over-water your lawns as your lawn only needs about 2.5 cm of water per week
• Purchase a rain gauge to measure the rainfall so you only water enough to meet the required amount
• To prepare for dry summers, aerate and de-thatch (remove dead, matted grass) from lawns to encourage water to absorb into the soil and prevent runoff
• Keep your lawn cut to 6 to 8 cm to encourage deep root systems
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn to fertilize the soil and reduce moisture loss
• If you're reseeding your lawn, find a variety of grass seed that are more drought-tolerant (i.e., fescues and perennial rye grasses)

Edible front yard gardens

View our Edible Front Yard Garden Toolkit to learn how to start an edible garden.

There are several benefits to plant and grow edible plants, including:

• Convenient access to delicious, nutritious food
• Increasing biodiversity in your neighbourhood
• Adding beauty to your outdoor space
• Fostering discussion and awareness of the importance of local food security
• Opportunity to learn from and to teach others

Edible garden at Centennial Library

The city plants and maintains an edible garden in the courtyard in front of the Centennial Library. All produce is donated to Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.