Gardening Tips – Successfully Battling the Dry Weather Spells
Growing a garden is so much hard (gratifying, but hard) work, and you do not want to see most of your effort go to waste. Threats abound just waiting – almost like a person – to pounce on your garden. Among those threats are dry spells and droughts.
If you live in a relatively plush, rain-heavy area, your local government may not restrict the amount of water you can use for your garden and lawn. However, many people more arid geographies where water isn’t as plentiful. Consequently, it is quite common for areas with lower amounts of rainfall to limit the amount of water you can use. (This was, in fact, the case where I live for over 5 years. Then starting last year, the heavens opened.)
There are steps you can take to keep your garden looking great even when there is limited rainfall.
Ways to Conserve Water
You will have to get a little creative if you are going to keep your garden healthy during a drought. Plan for how you will make your garden as efficient as possible so it does not use as much water.
One of the first ways to improve efficiency when watering your garden is to use a drip irrigation system for the plants. A drip irrigation “system” can be as simple as some holes in a pipe to help slow the flow of water to the soil and plants.
The drip system moves water more slowly, which means the soil and roots actually have time to absorb more of it than when watering your plants the traditional way.
You can also insulate your plants and soil with mulch to help prevent water loss through evaporation. Doing so will also slow the runoff of water when either you water the garden or it rains.
Prepare Ahead of Time
If you know you live in a climate that tends to experience dry weather, you should do whatever you can to prevent your garden from not having enough water ahead of time. One way to do this is to collect water in a rain barrel.
A rain barrel seems much more complicated than it really is, and setting one up is actually pretty easy.
You need to find a large container – such as a large garbage can – to put the barrels in. Then, to maximize the amount of water you collect, place those barrels under your rain downspouts so the barrels collect all the water from the gutters.
Saving the water ahead of time will give you a lot of water to use for your garden. This water will be enough to help get you through the dry spells, and prevent your garden from dying. Just be sure to keep the barrels covered so you don’t attract swarms of mosquitoes!
