On 5/19/2015 4:46 AM, songbird wrote [in part]:
I previously wrote [also in part]:

By the way, see my "Gardening During a Drought" at
http://www.rossde.com/garden/drought.html.

i did. while most of it i agree with you don't say much
about rainwater capture/storage, landscaping to retain water
(slow, spread, soak) and wind breaks aren't really mentioned
either.

When we do get rain, more then 2/3 falls in December, January, and
February; often, that is more than 3/4. A cistern large enough to
supply water from March through November is quite out of the question.

My landscape does indeed retain rain. Last week, we had 0.34 inches,
which is a lot for the entire month of May. I have not run my
sprinklers since last Wednesday and will not run them tomorrow. (The
Monday and Thursday only schedule does not go into effect until 1 June.)

where you mention mulch it is to say enough to cover the
soil which is better than nothing, but beyond that a deeper
mulch can be much better, especially if you have drip
irrigation below it.

I try to maintain several inches of leaf mulch where there is no ground
cover. Although I place twigs and small branches on top, the wind often
reduces the thickness of the mulch. My valley white oak cannot survive
without a thick mulch of leaves; I applied the mulch and then anchored
chicken wire on top. This will require quite some effort to renew the
mulch as it becomes compost.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary