Your Edible Xeriscape: How to Grow Draught-Tolerant Vegetables

The forecast for Summer 2017 is hot, hotter, and possibly one of the hottest seasons on record.  That’s not encouraging news if you’re a dedicated gardener. Heat and low rainfall can bake a crop of vegetables before they even make it out of the earth. However, by applying basic principles of xeriscaping landscape design, you can plant a garden that beats the heat.

Begin by drawing up a bedding plan. Raised plant beds retain water the best. Build your own from premade kits from sources such as Farmer D or assemble your own using these ideas from morningchore.com.

Big-box hardware stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot carry raised garden beds on their websites, too.

Use more mulch. A heavier layer of mulch (at least 3-4 inches) can cut the need for watering in half. For natural mulch products, use grass clippings, dried leaves, pine needles, or straw. These materials keep the soil cooler and reduce water evaporation.

Plant veggies in groupings, or hexagonal offset patterns. Straight rows may be the traditional planting pattern, but it’s not the best for beating the heat. Planting in groups or a hexagonal pattern provides better shade for leaves. More shade keeps the soil cooler and reduces evaporation.

Grow companion plants. Companion planting is a Native American planting method where plants are placed in the same beds so that they benefit from each other. The classic “3 Sisters” trio of corn, beans and squash is perfect for a draught-tolerant vegetable garden. Beans leach nitrogen into soil, the corn is used as a scaffold, and the wandering squash vine’s leaves will keep soil cool. Herbs and flowers can be good vegetable companion plants, too. Burpee Seeds has a guide to common vegetables and their companion plants here.

Choose plants with shorter maturity days. The smaller the vegetable or fruit, the less it needs water. Try planting miniature peppers and cherry tomatoes. Don’t forget about a protein source in your garden: legumes (such as black-eyed peas, lima beans, chickpeas, or snap beans) will not need as much water as most vegetables.

Install a rain barrel, rainwater harvesting system, or greywater system. Recycling rain and grey water is the most efficient method for watering your vegetable garden without negatively impacting your local water supply. Rainwater harvesting systems provide distributed stormwater runoff containment while simultaneously storing water. 

While a wedge that stretches from Texas to Montana may get heavier than average rainfall this summer, the rest of the country may need to find ways to stay out of the heat and recycle water as much as possible. RainHarvest Systems provides a wide variety of drought-fighting watering solutions for gardens of any size. From rain barrels to complete systems, we have it all! Visit our website or call us at 800-654-9283 to get started!