I catch rain water in old cat litter buckets and put lids on them and then use that water for my house plants. In the veggie beds, I mulch with a layer of old newpapers, (no colored ink please) and put alfalfa straw over the top of that. It keeps the soil from drying out so quickly and keeps the roots cooler too. Plus the newspapers and straw break down and you can incorporate that all right into the soil. I have raised beds that I grow my veggies in. Getting too old for a tiller anymore.

CS