New gardener

       I will retire to a nearly rainless area, 45 minutes northwest of downtown  Austin.  Rainfall avg at 30 usually over about 6 days, large raingutters and big pipes to cistern.,  The only water available on my mountain top is not potable for both chemical and biologic reasons.  It will grow grass and burn any broad leaf plant.  It seems to help trees if you can keep it off the bark and leaves.  If you cleaned the water ( solar distillation) I don't know what you would do with the residue.  I would not want it on my .75 acre.   Everyone hoards their air conditioner water and has rainbarrels. 

        Previous home owner seemed to emulate Charly Manson decor and left me with about 50 gallons of the clay balls you hydroponic guys use.  Will just store those until we move permanently to  the house.  Imagine I will use those in a hydroponic and Photovalic setup greenhouse in the future.  Eurofresh in Arizona seems to be a good model to study. Another crazy Nederlander family.  Still removing the non indigenous species from my land ( cedar choppin ) to allow more native trees to grow.

       Right now gardening on an 8 X20 '  patio of an Apartment in Alexandria VA in DIY self watering containers. Its on the first floor under another patio ( means virtually no dew or rain even on railing window boxes) .  Faceing South southeast and a decidous forest nature preserve.  Moving to more vertical planters in an effort to keep down the water consumption.  Landlord won't let me tap into the downspout.  I do snitch a bit of rainwater when the down spout of my 40 unit 4 story building over flows its downspouts.  Use mostly city water with the salt rather then gaseous chlorine disenfectant. Worm bucket has provided some of my fertilizer, though I bought a 5$ bag of some lime recently.  Looks like about a 2 year supply. Using old grass and leaves for heavy mulch instead of plastic on about half of the planters

        will try to grow things on the patio until things freeze and will then consider a plastic green house in the corner next to the utility room (gas water heater and furnace on the other side of the walls).   I would like to communicate with others doing patio apartment gardening.  also intersted in anyone using leds for growing like the Nederlanders.

Dan