Building Soil to Combat Drought
Most people enter a drought and panic about keeping their plants alive. Is the well going to run dry? Guess we should take our chances - let's water more. But at elevation in the high desert, the fix isn't more water. It's better soil.
The Reality of Water in Gilpin County
Chances are if you've got a well in Gilpin County it's only permitted for indoor use. What you do on your own property isn't my business, but I'm willing to bet if you run your well dry you're going to be upset with yourself, and your neighbors could be impacted too. You can't out water a drought like someone down the hill who can turn the tap and watch water flow endlessly.
Mountain Soil Struggles
Most of the soil up here in the mountains didn't start out that way. It was rocks, broken apart over time by the elements. That means our soil is particularly low in organic matter. It's thin, and it drains quickly when water hits it. It doesn't matter if you have rain barrels, save your snow melt, or otherwise try to do right by your plants.
That's where compost and organic matter come into play. Most people know adding compost to a garden is a good idea, but not everyone knows all of the benefits. It's more than just a light fertilizer - it helps build structure to hold nutrients and water more efficiently. That means amending poor mountain soil can actually be a huge water saving strategy. Compost also feeds the biology living in the soil, attracting things like earthworms and beneficial fungi called mycorrhizae into the area. These fungi can actually help deliver water to your plant roots from places they wouldn't normally reach. This can ultimately all reduce your water needs by a significant amount, making a compost bin or access to good compost an essential, water saving technique. Only one note of caution - some native, xeric plants will drown if you amend their soil too much. Consider carefully if you'd rather plant entirely xeric plants, or want a bit more flexibility with some deliberately maintained soil.