
Watering salad in raised bed in garden. Gardening in spring time.
Watering salad in raised bed in garden. Gardening in spring time.
Watering salad in raised bed in garden. Gardening in spring time.
Airdate: August 4, 2022
We’re in the middle of a heat wave and high temperatures could be in the 90s for the next week or so. The grass is brown, leaves are falling off the trees, flowers are wilting and gardens are dry.
So, how do you take care of what’s growing in the ground during the middle of summer?
Erica Shaffer has appeared on Smart Talk many times to talk about gardening.
On Thursday’s program, Shaffer said the key to keeping plants healthy during hot, dry conditions is “watering less, but watering more.” In other words, rather than watering a little every day, water maybe once a week but give the plants and flowers the kind of water they would receive during a rain shower.
Shaffer added, “there’s so many different kinds of soils that we have in our area. The people who took the time to add compost to their soils are going to get a lot further along because there’s going to be more moisture retention. Mulch is a big deal. So it’s not only temperature.”
Which plants are heat resistant? “Any plant and perennial that you ever buy that has silver foliage is going to tell you that it’s that it’s heat and drought tolerant.”