Rewilding My Lot

One of my major goals here is to conserve water. That has always been important, but with new housing development and climate change I believe that water availability and management will become an increasingly critical issue over time. It is certainly the topic of some serious conversations here in Seguin, Texas.

We have just received our seventh monthly utility bill in Seguin (water, sewage, garbage, recycling), and the total amount has not exceeded $100 yet. This is a chart of our water usage in Seguin (gallons/month); there are two people in our household.

I have heard that some people living close to me pay hundreds of dollars per month for water. I hope to demonstrate that this is not necessary, even when actively maintaining a garden.

Over time, as the soil quality here improves to make the ground more absorbent and as I add plants that will pull water into their deep roots, I hope to greatly reduce the run-off that I have seen with heavy rainfall.

Even without gutters here, I am still able to capture some rain water in barrels, which is used to water plants that are still being established. I also keep a bucket in my shower and the gallon or so gathered there each time is either added directly to plants or poured into a rain barrel until needed.

I am also choosing plants for this lot that are known to be drought resistant so that they will not need extra water once established. In fact, I am working on the assumption that conditions here will progressively get drier in future years.

The Bermudagrass in my front yard will have to fend for itself; it will not be watered. Yes, it turns brown in seasons of drought, but it won’t die and it will grow back.