Gardening in a Drought

Wow, has it been dry lately!  Here are some ideas to help you make it through. 

Prioritize Your Watering

If you only have a few minutes to devote to hose dragging each day, then focus on the most drought susceptible spots and let the rest go.  The must-water list includes the following:

• The vegetable garden- Sure, they can survive with little water, but you will be sacrificing food.
• Annuals- Ever seen floppy impatiens? 
• Container plants- Container plants tend to dry out faster -- especially terra cotta pots.
• Newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials- Their root systems aren't developed enough to make it through a drought.
• New or recently repaired lawns- You spent too much money on that sod to let it croak!

Conserve Water

There are also a few things you can do to get the most out of your watering:

• Water in the morning to prevent loss to evaporation.
• Decrease fertilizers.
• Don't prune your shrubs.
• Water deeply and less often.
• Mulch your plants.

Plan for the Next Drought

Consider installing a rain barrel to help you conserve water for the inevitable next drought.  Did you know that up to 623 gallons of water can be collected off of a 1,000 square foot roof from a one-inch rain?  That is a LOT of water!  You could be saving some of that water to use on your plants.  There are many ready-made barrels for sale at stores, or you can make your own.  Tennessee Yards and Neighborhoods has an excellent article on rain barrels with instructions.  I have a small 35 gallon rain barrel at my house, and I love it.  It even collects condensation from the air conditioning unit, so it refills very quickly whether it rains or not.  I use it to water all my annuals, containers, and newly planted perennials. 

In the meantime, keep praying for rain!