Home  •  About NGA  •  Grants & Awards  •  Sponsors  •  ADOPT A GARDEN 

In My Garden Blog

December 6, 2007
Southwestern Deserts
By Cathy Cromell,
Phoenix, AZ

Can you spot an eyebrow terrace that slows the flow of rainwater?

Rainwater Harvesting that Blends into the Landscape

Finally, Mother Nature favored us with a winter rain! Unlike summer's raucous thunderstorms, which dump a deluge in an instant before moving noisily on, winter rains are sedate; rain falls steadily, often softly, for long periods of time. It's worth trying to direct or collect rainwater. Not only does it reduce the amount of precious drinking water applied to landscapes, rainwater is healthy for your plants. It is less salty than normal water sources and can help flush salts in the soil past a plant's root zone. (Salt burn appears fairly regularly on landscape plants that are not watered effectively and deeply). Rainwater also contains such plant nutrients as sulfur and potash.

Eyebrow Terracing
I recently visited a Prescott, Arizona, landscape with a fairly steep slope behind the house that had been terraced to reduce runoff and erosion. The homeowners, Nichole Trushell and Steve Morgan, created simple "eyebrow" terraces on the downhill side of plants to slow the flow of water, allowing it time to soak into the soil. The eyebrows were so unobtrusive that I didn't notice them until Steve, a landscape architect who includes wildlife habitat and rainwater harvesting in his designs, pointed them out to me.

Basically, these mini water wells (4 to 6 inches high) are the shape of an upside down eyebrow (or semicircle). The open end faces up the slope, allowing the flow of water to enter. The size of the eyebrow can be adjusted as needed: the wider the spread of the eyebrow's flared sides, the greater the water collection. Mulch spread on top disguises the look of the water well and also enhances water penetration into the soil.

Even if you decide it's not feasible to create water-harvesting methods in your landscape, it's worth collecting a few buckets as a healthy treat for your houseplants. You might also consider setting houseplants outdoors during a winter rain, in a protected spot where they won't get a downpour from the eaves. Gently wipe the rain off the leaves with a soft cloth to remove dust and return a shine to the foliage.

I too live in an arid climate and I find your articles more to the
point. Most articles have advice that I can't really apply.
Thank you.

Hi Joseph,

I'm glad the info is helpful to your gardening. Most of the books in
the gardening section at the big bookstores are pretty to look at,
but  don't have much to do with our growing conditions, do they? I
know our 2 growing seasons sometimes confuse new residents from
other regions. For example, if I planted tomatoes on Memorial Day in
Phoenix, which is a good date in the Midwest, I'd have crispy brown
plants on June 1! Thanks for writing.

Hi Cathy, We had some beautiful tomatoes this year and after this
last weekend, the frost has left me with about 100 green tomatoes. 
Knowing that tomatoes are perennials, is there a way that I can put
these beautiful plants to sleep for the winter and have them green
up again in the spring in our region?
Thank you!

Hi Ana,

I'm not sure what elevation you are, but in the low desert tomato
plants can sometimes be held over the winter, but must be protected
if frost is predicted. Cover them just as the sun is going down with
burlap, old sheets or frost cloth. It's best if you can erect some
type of framework to drape the cloth over so it does not touch the
foliage, thus lessening frost damage. The cover should reach the
ground. Heat radiates up from the soil and warms the air beneath the
cover. It needs to be taken off in the morning by about 9 or so
before the sun heats up, creating a mini greenhouse effect beneath
the cover. If our winter isn't too severe, and the plants continue
to get a full day of sun, they may bounce back again in the spring.
Some people have good luck, others not, as it can depend on
individual microclimates also. If the tomatoes are against a warm
wall, that often helps (although not in the summer!) Be careful not
to overwater, which will rot the roots. Wall O' Waters are another
option, although it sounds like you have alot of plants, and you may
not want to buy that many of these plastic cylinders! Keep me posted
on how they do.

Thank you Cathy!  I am in Tucson, far northeast foothills. I will
give your tips a try.  It would be wonderful to try to keep these
tomatoes alive if possible. 

Contact Us | Advertising | Content Licensing | Custom Publishing | Research | Press Room | Jobs