Garden Water Use

Rodale’s water use infographic:

It’s not a bad thing to review your water use, and it’s certainly a good thing to manage your garden responsibly. But I have a few comments about this graphic:

Why would California governor Jerry Brown be proud if you were “growing nothing in your yard”? Not even a joke.
Photo credit

I guess I don’t have to tell you that being among green leafy things that are growing is a good thing. Maybe the comment came from This is That.
If you have grass, and want to run around on it. the recommendation is smart irrigation. One good option, but there are lot of other good options, including adding Dutch white clover (Trifolium repens) or microclover (DLF Trifolium), which stay green with less water.
lawn sown with Dutch White Clover
Vegetables–apparently a better thing to buy them at a farmer’s market than growing yourself. The assumption that the farmer is more efficient at water use than the home grower. I think I’ll send this infographic to This is That and see what they make of it!
And in case you’re still determined to grow something yourself, don’t bother with all those things that might want a little water, like carrots or beets or broccoli, stick to Mediterranean-type herbs.
And one of the best recommendations: “gradually replace your deciduous trees with conifers…” Right. Cut down those Oaks and Maples and Lindens, never mind that they’re 100 years old and that you’ll replace them with trees that will either break the bank, or take 20 years to reach half-mature size.