New Mexico... (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas: hotels, work, house)

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by iriegirl

Hi Devin Bent!
Thanks for the good explanation. It still sounds a bit confusing to me, only because of having lived in Pa and NJ for my whole life, and in towns that get water from reservoirs and lakes, I just take it for granted that the water is there when I open the tap, (and pay the water bill! ha!) If you live in the town of Santa Fe, or Albuquerque,do they also have wells? or do they have water companies like here?

iriegirl :-D

Yes, we have water and waste systems in the cities and towns. But maybe not something you can count on if you want to raise your own food. The last time we had a drought, Santa Fe told people not to water even the trees -- which seemed a little short sighted to me. But the population of NM is growing and the amount of water isn't.

[mortimer]

Devin Bent reported:

> The last time we had a drought, Santa Fe told people not to water
> even the trees -- which seemed a little short sighted to me.

I would imagine that you could sneak water to your trees from inside the house.

Generally, we let the water run down the drain whilst we let the shower heat up (not me). That water can be saved and used for irrigation.

(If you have a water softener, you can't use such water, but you can flush toilets with it.)

Water used to wash dishes is also OK for plants.

Urine contains large amounts of urea, an excellent source of nitrogen for plants. I'm not sure if you help or hurt a tree by peeing on it. I know that sometimes dogs impair bushes when they 'mark' them.

I imagine if it is dilute enough, it would be OK.

Even in the event of such water restrictions, I'm not sure I'd consider going that far.

[Vinegaroon]

I am an avid gardner, and all I can say that unless you have irrigation rights, gardens in general in NM should be xeric. We just don't have the rainfall to support lush gardens in most spots.

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by Vinegaroon

I am an avid gardner, and all I can say that unless you have irrigation rights, gardens in general in NM should be xeric. We just don't have the rainfall to support lush gardens in most spots.

I ABSOLUTELY agree, Vinegaroon.

I am not even a NM resident yet, but I am becoming increasingly committed to water conservation and xeric gardening.

[Devin Bent]

I certainly support xeric and I have acres of xeric, but we need trees for the air we breathe, and deciduous trees can reduce electrical consumption by providing shade in the summer. And some trees are xeric.

If somebody grows fruit and vegetables, then fewer have to be shipped in from out-of-state -- a process that consumes energy and pollutes the environment. In addition those vegetables will be better for us than the ones on the grocery shelf. (Admittedly, I am reluctant to pay the price at the Farmer's market, but would not begrudge the opportunity to others.)

[mortimer]

Devin Bent, crunching on a carrot:

> If somebody grows fruit and vegetables, then fewer have to be
> shipped in ... consumes energy and pollutes the environment.

Also note that industrial processing of any kind of food uses far more water than an individual would washing off their produce would.

The backyard gardener can wash and scrub with their fingers under a trickle of water and if they are conscientious (and anal like me), they can do it over a basin and use that water for more irrigation.

Industrial processes by necessity and fear of being sued need to flood food with water to ensure sanitation.

I don't think anyone needs to feel guilty about their backyard vegetable garden.

[Devin Bent]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Devin Bent, crunching on a carrot:

> If somebody grows fruit and vegetables, then fewer have to be
> shipped in ... consumes energy and pollutes the environment.

Also note that industrial processing of any kind of food uses far more water than an individual would washing off their produce would.

The backyard gardener can wash and scrub with their fingers under a trickle of water and if they are conscientious (and anal like me), they can do it over a basin and use that water for more irrigation.

Industrial processes by necessity and fear of being sued need to flood food with water to ensure sanitation.

I don't think anyone needs to feel guilty about their backyard vegetable garden.

You're great, Mortimer. But I am curious: Who is the world's (first) biggest curmudgeon?

Oh. Please excuse me for quoting you in your entirety.

[jsc23]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Also note that industrial processing of any kind of food uses far more water than an individual would washing off their produce would...

Industrial processes by necessity and fear of being sued need to flood food with water to ensure sanitation.

I don't think anyone needs to feel guilty about their backyard vegetable garden.

The big processors don't just flood with water, they also include bleach in the wash... no analysis yet on the nutritional effect of sterilizing produce (as far as I know), but they are adding copious amounts of chlorine for those downstream...

[mortimer]

jsc23 adds evidence:

> ... don't just flood with water, they also include bleach in the wash ...

There ya go - as if we needed even more reason ...

BTW, in my earlier missive, I was only referring to the water for processing.

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that the home gardener doesn't use any more or less water to grow the vegetable than the production farm. I assume that if you use too much, you get root rot, so it's a wash (and a pun).

Devin Bent asks:

> ... curious: Who is the world's (first) biggest curmudgeon?

In the world? I'm only talking about the forum.

My vote is for Zoidberg. (I'm also casting the vote for him as smartest.)

(I'll vote for myself as #1 smart-alec-ist.)

Picture this: (I don't know why, but I pictured this a long time ago when he said something about increasing taxes on gasoline having the effect of reducing the traffic.)
---------------------------------------------------------
Zoidberg is filling up with fuel at the station just after the price of gas has one of those 5-cents/gallon increases. The local news crew is out looking for whiners to put on the news to complain about how their life is falling apart because of the price of gasoline.

They move in on Zoidberg and start peppering him with questions.

News: Excuse me sir mind if we ask you some questions about the gas price?
Z: Can you move out of the way? I'm in a hurry and I need to fill up.

News: Has the price of gas hurt your standard of living?
Z: Yes. It's become really difficult to fill up my tank.

News: Are you having to cut back on your other expenses?
Z: Yeah, probably.

News: What do you think of the rising price?
Z: If it gets people out of my way on the road I'm all for it.

News: So you *want* the price to go up more?
Z: What I *want* is to get the nozzle of this pump into its socket and get out of here. That's what I want.

News: Thank you for your cooperation!
Z: Harrumph!
---------------------------------------------------------
I don't know why I spontaneously think of stuff like that, but I do.

Don't anyone ask me too many questions about that though. I might have to relate the story line that I though about 'you' next time.

[Towanda]

I agree Zoidberg is smart.

Can I be the 2nd smartest??????