I was really enjoying having my hands in the dirt again until it suddenly dawned on me how much water I was wasting. Because I was being so careful to stay hydrated, every hour or so, I had to go into the house to take a bathroom break. And everytime I did, I had to clean all of that beautiful garden soil off of my hands. After about the third trip inside, the “AHA” light went off in my head.
After that, I filled a small tub with water and placed a towel next to it, and whenever I needed a bathroom or snack break, I would rinse my hands in the tub and dry them on the towel. At the end of the afternoon, I was able to use the water from the bucket to water some of the plants I had planted.
Of course, wearing gardening gloves are another good option, but I’m the kind of gardening who really likes to feel the soil between my fingers and tickle the little earthworms I find along the way!
Of course, there are lots of other great ways to save water in the landscape.