Each spring our local Public Works department offers up rain barrels and compost pails at discounted prices.  Surprisingly, I do not see a rain barrel in more than a couple of yards with gardens.  Either our neighbors hide theirs very well, or they simply don't bother.  I'm a huge fan of the rain barrel.  Ours fills fast with a heavy rain as we place it directly under a gutter drain.  To water the yard, I fill cleaned and emptied milk jugs with water from the barrel, place about 12 filled jugs in my kids' old radio flyer wagon to transport, and take a trip around the yard.  Maine doesn't have watering restrictions so we are lucky.  But shouldn't we?  Water is taken for granted and those who have an automatic sprinkler system (which even runs when it's raining), I believe, are purposely wasteful.  What worries me more is that these same neighbors who believe that perpetual green grass is a symbol of wealth and prosperity also use chemical enhancers on their lawn (for grub control and fertilization) which then wash into our street drains and back into our oceans or water supply  polluting both.

From what I've read and learned from my sister (who has a degree in landscaping) grass in Maine is problematic on two levels.  First, cool weather grasses will go dormant in summer, it's completely natural no panic needed.  Second, warm weather grasses, that will be bright green in July, won't survive a cold winter.  So, in Maine, it really isn't possible to keep that green grass looking green year round, so accept the dormancy as the growth cycle and stop expecting miracles from your lawn.   And if you follow simple suggestions, like leaving grass clippings on the lawn (as it decomposes it will release nitrogen into the soil), you can have a decent lawn without the extra effort or expense.

If you really like the idea of cutting costs and avoiding pesticides, here is another good suggestion (from my sister and from experience).  If you notice bugs on your plants (like aphids, or other small eating bugs) throwing your dirty dish water onto the plant will actually help it.  The soap in the dishwater will smother the bugs (and if the water is slightly oily it will cling to the leaves for a longer period of time) and you will be watering the plant without getting out the hose.

While I understand that most people are weekend gardeners and don't have the time to dedicate a large amount of general care for their yards, small changes can really make a difference.  For example, when we bought our first house in Brockton, Massachusetts, we had overgrown shrubs, weeds all over, and grass 2 feet high (we got it cheap as a bank owned property, so no complaints). Slowly we began to trim, pull weeds, and establish several small garden areas.  We were quickly informed that Brockton had strict watering policies.  We could only water the lawn during certain hours of certain days of the week.  As it turns out, we really never had to "water" using a hose or sprinkler.  First, we let our grass go dormant in the summer.  We had good soil and it always rebounded in the cooler months. Then, we put out a couple of plastic trash cans for water barrels, planted drought resistant perennials, and used every bit of water from washing dishes and laundry and emptying our dehumidifier during dry periods to keep new shrubs and perennials watered.  Coworkers and friends who lived in Brockton were amazed by our yard; they claimed they didn't garden because of the water restrictions and had thought that plants couldn't thrive.  I hope we proved them wrong.