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5 tips to help your garden make it through a heatwave

 

Is the current heatwave stressing you out? Think what it’s doing to your plants. Many plants – especially vegetables – need full sun. But during some summers it gets a little ridiculous. If your garden looks like it’s struggling during extreme heat, here are some tips to help you help your garden make it through.

• Water early and water deeply. Mid-day watering might seem like the best time to resuscitate your wilting garden, but it’s not. The hot sun will dry some of the water before it has a chance to percolate into the soil, and the wind might just blow the spray elsewhere. Water in the morning before the day heats up and the wind begins to stir. Water deeply, too. A light sprinkle won’t have a chance to soak much into the soil. Furthermore, roots will tend to stay near the soil surface where the water can be found. Deep watering will encourage deeper root growth.
  
• Add mulch. We can’t say this enough. A couple inches of mulch will help the soil to retain moisture, and mulch helps to suppress weeds, too. Grass clippings, straw, wood chips and chopped leaves are excellent mulch materials. In addition, the rotting organic material will build your soil into a healthier ecosystem.
• Provide some shade. Though many plants need full sun to flourish, a little shade during hot afternoons will protect them when they need it most. Shade cloth is a most popular solution.
• Lay off fertilizing for awhile. Fertilizer – especially nitrogen – encourages plant growth. Active growth stimulation during hot weather is just what your plants don’t need. Let them rest during hot spells, just as you would do yourself.
• Get rid of weeds. Weeds compete with your flowers and vegetables for moisture. Eliminate them. Your garden plants will thank you.

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