Vegetable Gardening During a Drought
If you live in the western part of the United States like I do,
drought conditions mean scaling back the amount of water we use,
including what's used for our vegetable gardens. Conserving water in a
vegetable garden is easy to do but does take a bit of advance planning.
Here are some of the planning tips I'll be using to lower the water use
in my gardens this year.
Careful plant selection
Some vegetables require a lot more water than others which is why
conserving water starts with selecting the right plants. I know from my
own experience that food crops such as sweet corn, peas, winter
squashes, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelons and certain tomato
varieties use up a lot of water which is why I won't be planting them
again. Herbs along with veggies such as Swiss Chard, peppers, legumes,
Roma tomatoes, pear tomatoes, Cumshaw squash, summer squashes and bush
beans have lower water needs and do well in my region.
Plant early
Even though the summer growing season begins June 1 in my neck of the
woods, I always plant an early spring crop to take advantage of the
moisture in the ground and the spring rains. Veggies such as spinach,
lettuce, radishes and green onions can go into the ground as soon as the
earth is thawed and will yield edible produce in 30-45 days. Heat
loving veggies are started indoors as early as March 1 and are
transplanted after the last spring frost. This early start means that
they will have a well established root system by August and September
when the drought conditions are the worst.
Plant flat and water wise
Furrow irrigation is something I learned to do on the farm and have
always watered my veggies this way since it's the easiest. This type of
irrigation system doesn't work when the water supply is low. Instead of a
mix of furrows and mounds, I'll be planting flat and using a drip line
system to bring water directly to the roots.
Closer rows
Last year, I started experimenting with denser plantings by planting
veggies much closer than what's listed on the back of the packet. Closer
rows makes better use of the water and provides shade which lowers
evaporation.
Mulch
Mulch does more than keep down
the weeds. It also reduces ground moisture evaporation and speeds up
plant germination, especially in the northern climates where our growing
season is short. Black plastic mulch works best for heat loving plants
such as peppers and tomatoes. As far as the rest of the garden, I use
organic mulches such as grass clippings and straw from the hen house
once the soil temperatures have warmed up.
For families like
ours who rely on vegetable gardens, drought conditions will limit the
food we can grow. Planning ahead with careful vegetable selections and
how the garden will be planted will make gardening possible even in a
low water year.
