So you’ve built a garden that looks amazing come May. Everything is growing and thriving, but suddenly, come July, it’s a completely different space. They’re wilting and barely holding onto life. What is going wrong?
There’s a big difference between a garden that collapses in the heat and one that you can keep looking great throughout the summer, and it starts with a handful of decisions earlier in the season. It’s nothing to do with luck or being green-fingered; it’s about knowing what you need to do for optimal results.
Let’s take a look.
Start with the Right Soil
Everything works better with the right soil, and this is where you need to start from. Good topsoil holds moisture longer between watering, drains well enough that roots don’t rot after heavy rain, and gives plants the nutrient base they need to handle heat stress without collapsing.
Things impacted or sandy soil, however, do not deliver this support. If your soil is drying within hours of watering and leaves plants struggling from the start, nothing will thrive.
Companies like Cloverdale Topsoil Ltd can help you understand the type of soil you need and deliver you the right soil for your garden that will support lawns, raised gardens and beds, so you’re building on something solid rather than fixing issues mid-season.
Mulch Everything
A 2-3 inch layer of mulch over your beds does more work than almost anything else you can do for a summer garden. Mulch will slow moisture evaporation so the ground stays damp longer after watering, regulate soil temperature so roots aren’t cooking in the top layer, and suppresses weeds that compete for the water your plants need.
Wood chips, straw and shredded bark all work. Apply it after planting, keep it a couple of inches back from plant stems and top it up through the season as it breaks down.
Choose Plants that Handle Heat
Not all plants are suited to summer climates, and these will struggle regardless of what you do. These are things like lettuce, spinach and cilantro, which will turn bitter once temperatures climb consistently above 80F. If you plant them in spring, do not succession plant once temperatures rise; just swap them out.
Heat-tolerant options you can add include tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, basil and most other herbs. These will keep going through the hotter months and produce more with the sun rather than wilt and die off.
Water Deep, Not Often
Here’s the trick: you need to make sure the water is reaching where it needs to be. If you’re frequently watering but you’re only watering a shallow layer later you’re not encouraging the roots to grow down, you’re training them to stay near the surface. This is how they dry out and heat up.
Instead, you need to water deeply two to three times per week. A slow soak at the base of the plant for several minutes will do the trick compared to a quick spray over the whole bed.