Free Water

One thing about living in Seattle is the amount of “free” water we get. This isn't always a good thing, as rivers can flood and homes can be severely damaged by excess water. But if you have a garden, from time to time you may breath a sigh of gratitude that nature is taking care of watering your plants for the time being. Especially for a newbie gardener like myself, still nervous about over- or under-watering my container plants, it's a slight load off my shoulders when I realize that, for the next few days, I can lay the responsibility elsewhere. After all, unless we are surprised by snow or a hailstorm, I can feel fairly confident that in our mild climate, the plants should be able to tolerate whatever nature throws at them.

One concept that has grown in popularity with the boom of interest in permaculture is the idea of water collection. It makes perfect sense with the amount of rain we get here. Setting out buckets under gutter runaways or anywhere exposed to the sky allows some of the rainwater to sit and slowly evaporate while we get to use it to water our plants, at no expense to our tap.

I realize this has nothing to do with eating and being pregnant, but as I've begun to attempt growing a very small amount of food for my family, I have grown increasingly impressed by and tuned-in to those plants' need for moisture. Similar to my own body's need for water, made all the more important with the baby inside, the plants need adequate amounts of water to survive and grow. Making use of what nature gives to us “free of charge,” if you will, is stunningly simple and rewarding.

Now as I think of buckets and jars to use to collect rainwater with during our next shower, I think I'll go pour myself a glass of water. We are so blessed.