Catching Rainwater

[HernanC]

I recently watched this video done by Kara Kroeger of NCAT and Tim Miller of Millberg Farm demonstrating two ways to catch and hold water. 1- Tim uses a super low-tech rainwater harvesting system of inclined panels and buckets throughout the farm which he then uses to water his row crops. 2- he uses a trench composting method which acts as a way to redirect rainwater, hold it, and slowly release it into his planting beds. The whole system is mind-blowing considering he has no irrigation system and is actually dryland farming. I'm linking the youtube video below.

 

[Kara Kroeger]

Thanks for posting Hernan. Tim's system is remarkable and super effective. You can see the moisture in the soil and his produce thrives year round.

 

[Prairie Shepherd]

This is very interesting! My garden depends wholly on rainwater as our groundwater has high pH and a lot of salts. With scanty summer precip (less than 2 inches this drought year, and barely enough for vegies even in an average year), I depend on stored rainwater to irrigate. I catch water off the roofs of my house and barn, store it in cisterns, water troughs and such. But it doesn't go far. Tim's trenching system has me thinking!

I'm inspired by traditional and indigenous farming methods. Instead of the raised bed gardening I have done for decades, I am starting to incorporate Hopi farming methods that are designed to reduce evaporation from the desiccating prairie winds. Hopi people have had over 2,000 years of farming in the land of little rain, and I am so grateful to learn from their wisdom.