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different plants vary in their water
needs, SO ALWAYS TAKE THE PRECAUTION OF
CHECKING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES
FOR THE PLANTS YOU PUT IN THE GARDEN.”
HOW MUCH WATER IS ENOUGH?
Plants that receive insufficient water are
unable to perform photosynthesis effi-
ciently and will begin to show signs of
stress. So, how much water is enough? A
common rule of thumb for food and flow-
ering plant maintenance recommends
adding one inch of water to the garden,
slowly, once a week. If you’re confused,
you’re in good company. It’s hard to
imagine even a dedicated gardener
scurrying around with a ruler in hand,
trying to measure water depth before
all that precious moisture soaks into the
soil. So, let’s refine the recommendation
to make it more intuitive: When water-
ing, plants will benefit most from one
inch of surface water within easy reach
of their roots over a one square foot area.
This is a bit more than half a gallon of
the wet stuff (0.62 gallons), distributed
around the base of each plant.
If your plants aren’t receiving adequate
water as defined above, either from
soaking rain or ancillary watering, it
should alert you to potential problems
before symptoms appear. Avoiding a
problem is always preferable to dealing
with it down the line. Of course, different
plants vary in their water needs, so
always take the precaution of checking
the environmental preferences for
the plants you put in the garden, and
consider soil composition and other
important factors in your strategy.
SUGGESTIONS FOR
MINIMIZING DROUGHT AND
HEAT STRESS IN THE GARDEN
You can attack plant stress issues caused
by high heat or drought from several
different angles, but none is more effec-
tive than planning ahead. Yes, this isn’t
too helpful if your garden is in trouble
today, but it is great advice for next year.
Choose the right plants
Choose appropriate plants and
provide them with an optimal growing
environment based on their specific
needs. When in doubt, err on the side of
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Maximum Yield
caution and select plants with drought
and heat resistance, and native variet-
ies. Many online seed sites categorize
their offerings based on one or several
search criteria that can help you choose
the best candidates. If you don’t have
a crystal ball and want more weather
information before you plan your next
garden venture, try checking out the
National Weather Service’s Climate
Prediction Center online. For something
closer to home, you can also drill down
on data for your backyard, or close to it,
at worldclimate.com.
Be generous with soil amendments
Don’t be scared to use soil amendments
designed to improve fertility and
increase water retention. Ideal garden
soil is loamy, consisting of a mixture of
clay, sand, and decomposing organic
materials that provide plenty of nutri-
ents and retain enough, but not too
much, moisture.
Consider using primed seeds
Primed seeds are good if you live in
drought country. These special seeds
have been partially germinated through
limited hydration and then dried, which
puts them in a kind of suspended anima-
tion. When rehydrated, they germinate
more quickly and reliably than untreated
seeds. This makes them good candidates
where drought is a problem.
Make use of available afternoon shade
Shade can be provided by buildings
and hardscape elements, like walls and
fences. If your vegetable plot is perfect
in May but sizzling hot on August
afternoons, relocating it to an area of
afternoon shade in your home’s shadow
will protect plants during the hottest
part of the day. It will also help reduce
their water demand.
Increase the spacing between plants
This helps reduce competition for water
and other resources, while improving
air flow. Plants spaced further apart will
also have more access to soil nutrients.