Tag Archives: Water in the Desert

Why is my soil so compacted?

Originally posted on Soils Matter, Get the Scoop!:
Hopefully, the ground in your yard has thawed by now (regrets to those who still have frozen ground!). So why is it that when you try to push your shovel into the…

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Farmers Flood Fields to Store Rainwater. Next is Protecting it from Evaporation

Dan Charles Recently posted a story on NPR, As Rains Soak California, Farmers Test How To Store Water Underground about farmers flooding their fields with rainwater in order to infiltrate the water into store the water in soil and replenish … Continue reading

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Rock Outcrops | Observations and Thoughts for a Desert Rain Garden

Rock outcrops show us how lush, green plants such as native cherries can flourish in a desert during a major drought without expensive irrigation water. Continue reading

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Value of Ancient Ways – Dialog with Pat Spray Regarding His Native American Ancestor’s Use of Key Hole Gardens

For all our stunning scientific advancements, listening to grandparents talk about traditional ways is well worth while. Sure, some traditions worked out better in the long run than others. As we push the limits on technical advancements, we are learning which traditions are keepers. Native American agricultural practices that endured through thousands of years without environmental collapse are worth in-depth study. Continue reading

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Free Water in the Desert

So, I’m not the only crazy person out there who sees free irrigation water in “flooding problems” I found a great series of links to videos on stormwater and rainwater harvesting. If you want to grow more than rocks in … Continue reading

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Mojave Roadside Swale Blooms After Desert Rains

I maintained the grade of the roadside swale and added landscaping to solve problems: flooding of the intersection, unauthorized “off-roading” across my front yard, and unauthorized cement laying in my corner. An additional benefit has been free irrigation water in an area where water is very expensive. Continue reading

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More Awesome Links for Key Hole Gardens

Keyhole gardens are basically raised beds with an access path and built in compost column. After I published Keyhole Gardens are a Proven Strategy for Working With Caliche in Arid Regions, I got a ping back from  Mr. Jon Moore … Continue reading

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Keyhole Gardens are a Proven Strategy for Working With Caliche in Arid Regions

I learned some wonderful strategies for working with caliche layers under poor soils from the local gardening community.  Keyhole gardens are one of the approaches.  I have seen several interpretations of the keyhole garden posted on Facebook.  Then  some Julie … Continue reading

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This article supports use of infiltrating roof run off and road runoff in rain gardens.  More could be gained than free irrigation for native and drought tolerant gardens. Storing Extra Surface Water Boosts Groundwater Supply During Droughts | UT News | The University of Texas at Austin

Although years of drought and over-pumping have depleted groundwater in Arizona and California, a new study shows the situation has created underground reservoirs where extra surface water can be stored. Source: Storing Extra Surface Water Boosts Groundwater Supply During Droughts … Continue reading

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