Hey /diy/ i have a garden but since i live in southern California

>>1008168
Maybe you should just plant plants that are native to your area so you dont have to worry about it?

>>1008168

post pic of the garden OP

>>1008168
Wait...are you putting anything on top of the rafters? or just leaving it open?

>>1008168
Why don't you just collect rainwater from your gutter runoff and....oh, you live in commiefornia, never mind.

>>1008206
Californians aren't allowed to have rainwater tanks?

In Australia it's law to have one if you are building a house...

>>1008209

i think in most of America you can't collect rainwater anymore

MUH FREEDOM

meanwhile in my house in yurope i collect all the rainwater in an underground pool of 5m^3

>>1008211
That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard

"We have a drought, no washing cars, no watering your lawn NO TRYING TO COLLECT WATER!...you just can't use the water we give you..."

>>1008212
In the USA most places require you to have a waterhookup of some sort, either through the city or through a well or you cannot live there. Rainwater in some citys/states have been said to belong to those citys/states has to do with the hydrology. If every home or farm started to collect rain water in barrels or underground tanks. That water would not return to the ground water causing artisan wells to go dry. Then you loose water pressure/water from the underground pumping stations. Its okay to have ponds and pump your water from the ponds though. Just cant trap and store the rain water. It makes sense but instead of having someone who studys these things explain it in simple terms to the public. It sounds really retarded, when it makes very good sense.

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>>1008191
I'm going for the self sufficiency thing and nothing native to my area is edible.

>>1008200
My garden is spread out in multiple places but this is one of the larger areas and was where i was thinking of putting the pergola

>>1008202
I'm putting nothing on the rafters I'm hoping it will disrupt the sunlight enough to make an appreciable difference in water retention without starving the plants of sun.

>>1008206
>>1008211
>>1008212
>>1008220
Capturing rainwater from rooftops is legal in California because of the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012. I have a rain barrel and it supplements my water needs but i would like to use as little as possible.

>>1008168
>The sun is evaporating the water away from my garden and my plants are withering away!
>I need a roof for my garden because the plants are getting too much sun

I'm no gardener, but that sounds vaguely retarded.

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>>1008243
That's actually kinda a bad picture. Here's a better one at this point the plants are kinda small. Also I plan on expanding into the grassy areas.

>>1008249
I guess you failed geography or else you would know that much of california is barren desert with no precipitation. Even plants that are "full sun" get baked to hell if they are on a south facing yard.

anything that can help provide shade and cool the area will help.

>>1008168
Mulch
Mulch
And more mulch


Bare earth, not sun, is the biggest reason for water loss. The soil gets hot and gasses off the water. The mulch acts as. An insulative layer and allowing a microclimate to form. My garden beds all have 3-4 inches of mulch under which even on the hottest of heat waves the soil just below the mulch is cool and moist.

Stop turning the soil, start feeding it.

>>1008209
In California you don't get an appreciable amount of rain, or only winter flooding.

>>1008168
Op have you tried drip irrigation instead of broadcast?

>>1008254
>>1008243

your citrus is still small, he would have time to adapt to the pergola
also do as >>1008488 said

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>>1008254
I forget how alien other part of America can look.

>>1008168
mulch to help prevent water evaporating from the soil, maybe try using ollas as well

>>1008528
You think it's different in Australia? (at least in the non-tropical areas)