5 Tips For a Water-Saving Veggie Garden

By Ramon Gonzalez, TreeHugger

Across the various social media sites that I use, gardeners have been talking about the drought, and what it means for their gardens and what plants they will grow in the future. Many are wondering whether there is room for a vegetable garden in a drier future. Some are looking at ways to conserve water, and others are looking at vegetable varieties that have adapted to growing in hot and dry conditions.

Below are some suggestions for vegetable gardening in times of drought that I’ve gleaned from research and these conversations.

1. It Starts with the Soil

Well-amended soil is the foundation of a vegetable garden that will tolerate drought. Prepare your garden’s soil by adding lots of rich, organic compost that will help trap moisture and encourage deep root formation in plants. Biochar aids soil fertility, and this highly porous charcoal also helps the soil retain water.

All of this soil amending is for naught if you aren’t mulching to reduce evaporation and water runoff. A thick carpet of mulch will also keep down the weeds that compete with your vegetables for water and nutrients.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Mary B.

6:42PM PDT on Oct 1, 2012

Thanks!

October 1
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Mary J.

6:48AM PDT on Sep 14, 2012

thank you very much

September 14
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Elaya R.

1:10AM PDT on Sep 11, 2012

Good. Thank you.

September 11
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clare r.

10:50AM PDT on Sep 10, 2012

Very interesting...living in the uk i'm not sure the 3 sister method would work. Thought the block layout made a lot of sense.

September 10
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Sara L.

4:44AM PDT on Sep 10, 2012

So valuable! Great talk on soil, which i was always concerned. Thanks for the wonderful post and keep them coming! http://www.homegardeningtips.com/

Amy S.

9:33AM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

Great information, thank you

September 9
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Michael K.

4:24PM PDT on Sep 8, 2012

Excellent ideas. Twittered

September 8
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Vicki P.

9:43AM PDT on Sep 8, 2012

Thank-you for the interesting article

Duane B.

8:26AM PDT on Sep 8, 2012

Good information. Thank you for sharing.

Summerannie M.

1:36AM PDT on Sep 8, 2012

water, mulch, keep weeds down and keep vigilant, save your shower water in a huge bucket and toss it on your flowers but mind you use user friendly ' green ' soap. Here in Melb Au we are dab hands at coping with gardens in drought .... and the council or water authorities need to put in water restrictions very strictly so you all learn like we did..it isnt hard to save water. My garden suffered from time to time over a 10 - 12 year period..yep that long and then my garden came back even here when I m oved, my garden is great...I learnt to cope