How dry I am

MPR story: Rain needed across much of the region

US drought monitor shows the region as "abnormally dry"

A friend told me the other day that she was waiting for the rains to come so that she didn't have to waste water on her garden.

Now might be the time to start watering those plants.

Anyone remember the summer of 2002? We went nine or ten weeks without rain in the hot July and August months. I remember the mistakes I made thinking that I didn't need to water and getting hopeful when the skies would get cloudy. But then reality hit when my lawn and flowers began to turn brown.

Most plants and your grass need a good inch of water per week to stay healthy. That means that now is the time to set aside a day of the week to give a good watering. No one knows if we are headed into one of those extended dry periods. You can cut stress to your plants and trees by giving them a good watering. By all means, conserve what water you can, but also realize that you have investments tied to the yard that can be saved by adding an inch of water today.