Harvesting and Recycling AC Water for the Garden

"Necessity is the mother inventions"

I had run out of room to put anymore plants down in my backyard garden. This was a dire situation. This side of the house were the air conditioner drains has never really been used because it was like a swamp with all the water the AC unit was putting out. I had to figure out a way to make this area a more inviting space for something other than mosquitoes.

DID YOU KNOW:

*Your AC unit can produce up to 2 gallons of water per hour!

So first things first. To use this area for gardening I need to stop the water from dropping on the ground so it can dry up. Next I will replace the soil. I put a big tub down to start my water harvest. I hand scooped the water and had not used the hose in the backyard since.

DID YOU KNOW?:

*If soil has been wet for too long, it loses all of its air pockets and become compacted. Plants have a difficult time in "dead soil" as the roots needs the oxygen supplied in those air pockets.

Now I have some good, dry soil in place and we are ready to put some plants down. I have an eco-friendly system working that is delivering a higher quality water supply for my garden that is better than anything coming out if the Texas tap.

DID YOU KNOW?:

*Watering your plants with water from your air conditioner is much better for your garden than tap water which contains chlorine or other chemicals.

Next I needed to find a way to make it easier than just hand scooping the water out of the tub. Now that I have a system in place that is doing what I want done, I have to find a way to do it better. I took another tub and attached a spout to it so I can get water at just a turn of the knob. I used some extra pvc pipes I had laying around to hold it up at an angle to get better pressure for when i'm filling the watering can. I was going to build a frame for out of wood to hold up the tub I attached the spout to, but leaving the original tub on the bottom provides a good overflow container for rainy days. Literally...

*Giving your plants water from the AC unit not only conserves it as a resource, it enables you to reuse it in a eco-friendly manner

In the future I plan on running some irrigation lines so that I can eliminate the watering cans altogether. I'm still not sure if I will use a drip or a soaker method but I will get it all planned out for what works best (and what is easiest) with what i'm already doing. I will do a whole video on 3speak when it comes time for that. If you have any suggestions on other ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness, I'm all ears. You can always see more pic from my garden on IG https://www.instagram.com/rehabgardens/?hl=en

Tag me in your garden photos on IG so I can see what you got also!

As always #GoCoogs