The influence of different in situ rainwater harvesting and moisture conservation methods on soil moisture storage and growth of Tamarix ramosissima was studied in the semiarid loess region of China from 2002 to 2004. The treatments included control (T1), trench (T2), saucer covered by plastic film (T3), bare ridge and bare furrow (T4), plastic-covered ridge and bare furrow (T5), and plastic-covered ridge and gravel-covered furrow (T6). The results indicated that soil water storage for the T5 and T6 was significantly higher than the control. The T6 treatments produced the highest amount of soil water storage, 18–137mm more than the controls at soil depth of 0–100cm and 40–75mm at soil depth of 100–200cm. No significant differences in soil water storage were found between the T2, T3, T4 and the control treatments at soil depth of 0–100cm, but soil water storage at soil depth of 100–200cm was significantly higher for the T2, T3, T4 treatment than the control.Rainwater harvesting and moisture conservation treatments increased growth of T. ramosissima, tree height was significantly higher for the rainwater harvesting and moisture conservation treatments than the controls. Tree height, crown diameter and collar girth for the T6 treatments increased by 70, 57 and 79% as compared to the controls. No significant differences in crown diameter and collar girth were observed between T1, T2 and T3 or T4 and T5 treatments in some years. The effectiveness of the different treatments for the tree height, crown diameter and collar girth was in the order of T6, T5, T4, T3, T2 and T1.