March is here!

March has arrived and even though there is a lot of snow on the ground, it is fairly nice out.  So I guess that means that March has come in like a lamb.  The rest of the week doesn't look too bad weather wise.  Hopefully some of this snow will melt before we get any more. 
As we enter into March, it seems like winter will soon be a distant memory.  March 20th is the day spring officially arrives.  Hopefully, the arrival of spring won't mean the end of our moisture for the season.  I am hoping that we receive more moisture for several months yet.

In the meanwhile, it is nice to start thinking about the garden.  I will be heading off the hill soon in search of clay pots for my olla project.  I will be posting my progress on that project, here on the blog.  Olla's shouldn't be used around trees or any type of bush or plant with woody roots, as the roots will break the pot.  But they will work great in the veggie garden, in flower boxes, raised bed gardens, containers and hanging baskets.  From the research I have done, it seems they are a very good way to water outside and conserve water at the same time.  There is virtually no waste involved since the pots are buried underground.  Much more efficient than even drip irrigation.  So I am going to give it a try!

Those of us that like to eat organically and grow our own food are in a kind of catch 22.  Growing food takes water, there is no way around that.  So when you are trying to conserve water, do you forgo vegetable gardening?  I hope not.  That is why I will be doing this experiment with the ollas.  It is my goal to grow my own vegetables as well as conserve water.  Down the road., I will also be working on a rain water harvesting system and will post that project as well once I get to it.  My eventual goal is to harvest enough rain water that I can water outside all summer long without tapping into my hose.  Since plants do better on rain water anyway, this would be a win win situation.  But one project at a time.

It should be an interesting summer.  I am anxious to see how the ollas work and how much water it saves.  So stay tuned!