As you know, we are spending the summer in Mountainair and working on landscaping the place. We have built a small terrace and xeriscaped in the front of the house. Now, the back and side yards are being pruned, cleared, and cleaned by Eppy, a great, cheerful, capable guy. Gardening in the desert is a challenge, but another great resource we have found is the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District where our neighbor Dee works. This summer, we have bought native grass and wildflower seeds from them, and now this ancient watering device. The olla (an unglazed clay pot) is partially buried in the garden. When filled with water, it slowly releases water into the garden. This one gallon olla is watering 1 sage and 3 oregano plants. The rock on top keeps mosquitos out of the water. Depending on the weather, the olla has to be refilled once or twice a week. Isn’t this a great idea?
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I remember when you started xeriscaping the Arbor house. Frankly I think you being too modest;
you love doing it and have been quite successful at it.
Ollas are one of the coolest ideas around, ancient or not, Luddite or not (and I don’t think they’re Luddite – were probably the height of irrigation tech way back in the day and thus their longevity [rediscovery?])