How to Plant for the Weather
If you live in the West like I do, the ongoing drought and low
water table means that gardeners often run out of well water long before
everything has been irrigated in the the vegetable garden. While one
solution is to not plant anything at all, a better solution is to adopt
low water practices to keep your vegetables alive.
Some of the
changes I will make to my vegetable garden this year include flat
plantings, heavy layers of mulch, a drip irrigation systems and choosing
low-water summer vegetables varieties. I will also start early and
rotate my crops so that they can follow the weather. Here's how it's
done.
Early plantings
As soon as the ground is workable in the spring, plant your first batch of quick growing spring veggies such as salad greens, spinach, radishes, turnips, and green onion starts into the ground. Replant these same vegetables every 1-2 weeks until the seeds stop sprouting.
As soon as the ground is workable in the spring, plant your first batch of quick growing spring veggies such as salad greens, spinach, radishes, turnips, and green onion starts into the ground. Replant these same vegetables every 1-2 weeks until the seeds stop sprouting.
Early, staggered plantings
lets you take advantage of spring rains and a higher soil moisture
content to keep your garden alive. Once the weather heats up and these
veggies start to droop however, they should be harvested and the plot
allowed to sit fallow for the rest of the summer.
Start a limited selection of summer crops indoors.
During a drought, it's best to limit your summer veggie selections to ones that are low water tolerant or have high yields in proportion to the water used. Roma and cherry tomatoes are good selections, so is are peppers, okra and Cumshaw squash. These vegetables should be started indoors at least 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost. An early start means that they will have an established root system by the time the water has to be scaled back in the summer.
During a drought, it's best to limit your summer veggie selections to ones that are low water tolerant or have high yields in proportion to the water used. Roma and cherry tomatoes are good selections, so is are peppers, okra and Cumshaw squash. These vegetables should be started indoors at least 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost. An early start means that they will have an established root system by the time the water has to be scaled back in the summer.
Late planting
In a traditional garden, plantings are staggered from early Spring to late fall for a continuous supply of produce. During drought years, skip the summer rotation (except in low water plots) and wait until late fall when the temps are slightly cooler to plant the last rotation of veggies. Low water fall crops such as Swiss Chard, Kale, spinach and turnips can be sown directly into the empty beds that had earlier held your spring veggies. Stagger these plantings for a steady supply of produce until the first hard frost.
In a traditional garden, plantings are staggered from early Spring to late fall for a continuous supply of produce. During drought years, skip the summer rotation (except in low water plots) and wait until late fall when the temps are slightly cooler to plant the last rotation of veggies. Low water fall crops such as Swiss Chard, Kale, spinach and turnips can be sown directly into the empty beds that had earlier held your spring veggies. Stagger these plantings for a steady supply of produce until the first hard frost.
Managing a vegetable garden
in periods of drought is a bit of a balancing act. Water-wise irrigation
practices along with matching vegetables to the weather is what will
produce the highest yield with the least amount of irrigation water.
