A hot summer with little rain can quickly dry up reservoirs, leading to drought and enforced water restrictions, and this might lead to not-hydrated plants.
However, you shouldn’t lose hope just yet if you live in a dry and dusty environment. Here are just some of the best tips you should do to keep your garden looking vibrant.
Choose drought-resistant vegetables
The first step towards a successful garden is choosing the right plants. There are certain garden vegetables that can handle extreme heat and can go lengths of time without water. Some of these include: bell peppers, asparagus, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, eggplant, cucumbers, and okra.
Try square-foot gardening
Instead of traditional planting, try another technique that uses grid to group plants. A raised bed is divided into 1-foot-by-1-foot squares, each home to a different veggie variety. Also, remember to keep plants so close together to prevent water from easily evaporating and diminishes weeds.
Set up a grid irrigation system
There’s one disadvantage in raised bed planting which is the fact that the soil in raised beds tends to dry out a bit quicker than if you were planting directly in the ground. But, you can fight this problem by installing an efficient grid irrigation system.
Water hanging on the leaves will most likely be evaporated before it hits the ground where it can feed the roots, so it really isn’t an optimum method, especially in a hot drought.
Add lots of compost
Adding compost to your garden beds in spring and fall can help build good soil structure and replenish nutrients. Compost is even more important during a drought.
Pile on the mulch
Finally, mulching is also another technique necessary for dry weather.About eight inches of mulch (hay or decomposed leaves, not wood chips) throughout your garden will settle and help keep moisture and coolness within the ground. Also, weeds will find it harder to grow and steal nutrients from your garden’s plants when there is a thick layer of mulch.