I prefer to water at night, so that the water has a chance to get into the ground before the sun comes up and bakes it away. Also, it makes sure that the plants don't get fried by the magnification of the sun through water droplets on their leaves.

From the parenting perspective, it's very zen-like to water after my son has gone to bed and it's peaceful and dark outside. :)

I think current wisdom is to water very early in the morning, before the sun really starts heating up the world.

That'd give the water a chance to seep into the ground before evaporation cranks up.

Plus, it'd allow the foliage to dry throughout the day to avoid mold, mildew or other ick if left wet overnight from an evening watering.

Dripper hoses or other close-to-the-ground methods of water delivery also prevent evaporation and wind from causing problems.

@Claire: Hah! You might've just answered my problem regarding "burns" on my pansies. They look like the plant was attacked by a magnifying glass, and I do water during the sunny hours.

Maybe I should try evenings.

I lean toward watering in the evening. From what I've read plants do most of their growing during the night...so its a good idea to replenish their water in the evening.

I've also heard that watering an hour before the sun goes down is good too. That way the sun has a chance to warm up the cold water a little bit...reducing the shock to your plants.

With regards to using saved water, I've done my fair share of emptying bath water into the garden. :) I've seen video of people setting up grey water systems to make this easier...although I don't think these systems are legal in most states.

Oh yes, I empty bathtub water, fishbowl water, pasta pot water, rinsing out the milk jug to recycle it water, waiting-for-the-water-to-get-hot water....everything goes into my yard.

It's fascinating how easy it is to "find" water in your everyday life.

Actually, it's the containers to hold it all that are more difficult :)

The soap from the bath water doesn't damage the plants? That's the one thing I was concerned about reclaiming bathwater...

Sarah - wow! you are the queen of conservation!

I try to do things that are more conservative (Like fill a bowl of water to wash greens instead of a sink of water...then use the water to water plants) but I find that I'm inconsistent and am not as dedicated as you. :)

Claire - I think the soap is ok as long as it is mild biodegradable soap. Some of my natural insecticides include soapy water.

In looking for information about soapy water, I came across a lot of resources that suggested chlorine should be more of a concern. How much chlorine a plant can tolerate varies from plant to plant and can sometimes be the cause of burnt/brown looking leaf tips.

The soap I use on the kids is homemade. I never use bubbles in the tub.

I will say that bathtub water is a last resort. When the long dry days are at their peak, though, it seems a shame to waste it.

Of course, while i am good at water conservation, we all know I am not a great gardener. How ironic it will be if I discover it was the soap all along!

(won't that be a great excuse, though?)

You are all remarkably impressive with your conservation efforts. Brava! Bravo! I just installed our first rain barrel a few days ago and with only a few showers each day, it's already full! I'm ready to fill another now. I think we can do all of our vegetables with the rain water this year. And it helps that the garden is downhill by 15 feet or more from the rain barrel.