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Founded 05-05-05

Get Your Garden Growing

Planning for a Dry Gardening Season

Story by Anna Oakes

If you haven’t already, now’s the time to start thinking about your home gardens. And don’t let forecasts for an extended drought scare you away from planting—nature provides plenty of plants and vegetables that can tolerate dry conditions, and we have several tips to help you conserve water.

Some local governments have temporarily relaxed their water restrictions, but good garden planning might save you from a fine—or a dried-up garden—if the drought continues.

Also, don’t miss the additional resources provided with links to websites and helpful experts who can help get your garden growing.

Soil Preparation

It’s too early to plant most vegetables in the mountains, but early spring is the time to begin working the soil. The Watauga County Cooperative Extension can test your soil for free to determine what nutrients and fertilizers you need to add. Mountain soil tends to be slightly acidic, so it’s a good idea to put lime down to help balance the pH.

The consistency of the soil plays an important part in mitigating drought effects.

“Drought resistance begins with soils,” said Richard Boylan, a Watauga County Cooperative Extension agent. “Soils that are higher in organic matter will support plants through dry times much better than soils deficient in organic matter.”

Mulches of bark, partly rotted wood chips and other natural materials help to build organic matter and also directly hold moisture, Boylan added.

“The very best part about well-mulched and high-organic-matter soils is that if the drought abates and the rains return, then these soils also absorb rainfalls and minimize erosion the best,” he said. “So it’s a win either way.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published a document titled The Importance of Soil Organic Matter in 2005. To minimize the impact of drought, soil needs to capture rainwater, store as much of that water as possible for future plant use and allow for plant roots to penetrate and proliferate, the document said. The capacity of soil to retain and release water depends on a number of factors, including soil texture, soil depth, soil’s physical structure, organic matter content and biological activity.

Mulching around plants and vegetables can greatly improve water retention while reducing weeds and pests. Soil covers protect the soil against the impact of raindrops that can cause it to clump and become impermeable. In addition, mulch protects the soil from becoming too warm—high temperatures can cause the ground to harden and restrict plants’ absorption of water and nutrients.

“Gardeners can even grow King Stropharia mushrooms in mulches of fresh wood chips, thus gaining an edible delicacy while improving soils for their plants and holding moisture,” Boylan said. Spawn for these mushrooms is available from several mail-order vendors, he noted.

Drought-Tolerant Plants and Xeriscaping

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has several documents about drought-tolerant plants that are easy to grow and readily available to North Carolina home gardeners and landscapers.

It’s important, however, to choose varieties that are native to the area to avoid planting a specimen that can become invasive.

The N.C. Extension provides tables of drought-tolerant vines, ground covers, ornamental grasses, shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials and turf grasses—and many of them are cold-hardy enough for the mountains. For a copy of these tables, call the Watauga Cooperative Extension or click to www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/ag508_3/. The North Carolina Botanical Garden at UNC-Chapel Hill also provides a list of recommended drought-tolerant wildflowers, grasses and shrubs for North Carolina.

Additionally, some vegetable varieties are more drought-resistant than others. Check seed packets, catalogs and online directories for varieties that can withstand dry weather.

“As for choosing plants, one wants to look for adaptable plants rather than desert specimens,” Boylan said. “Even if it gets dry again this year, there will be wet weather eventually. So people shouldn't plant only cactus.”

“Xeriscape” is a term for a wise-water-use landscape, the Extension states. Xeriscaping involves plant selection and grouping plants according to water needs. When plants are grouped properly, supplemental irrigation can be applied only to the plants that need it. Plants that require more water should be placed in areas that stay moist and those that need less in drier areas. In the aforementioned tables, the Extension also divides plants into three categories: regular irrigation, moderate to occasional irrigation and low to no irrigation.

Container gardens are another option for reducing water use. Potted plants retain more water than those growing in the landscape. For pots, choose plants with silvery foliage and hairy or fuzzy leaves—their textures reflect sunlight and reduce water loss by transpiration. Plants that are succulent or waxy also require little water. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden includes recommendations for container perennials, annuals, vines, bulbs, shrubs, small trees, groundcovers and ornamental grasses, as well as xeriscaping tips for container garden design and care.

Water-Saving Gardening Tips

Included below are water-conserving tips for gardeners from the N.C. Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Plant in the spring and fall, giving plants a chance to get established and expand their root systems before the hottest weather and/or drought.

Water plants early in the morning to avoid direct water loss via evaporation. Evenings are good too, but water sitting on leaves overnight can cause fungal diseases. Try watering with alternative water sources, such as reclaimed water from rain barrels.

Water the soil, not the plants. Use a watering can, soaker hoses, drip irrigation or other water-conserving irrigation techniques that saturate the soil while leaving the foliage dry.

Water less frequently but deeply. Frequent, shallow waterings lead to weak, shallow-rooted plants. Less frequent, thorough waterings encourage roots to grow deep, where the soil stays moist longer.

Apply mulch to help keep roots cool and moist once your plant beds are damp.

Mulch your plantings. A two- to three-inch layer of organic mulch such as shredded leaves, bark or compost slows evaporation by shading the soil, slows water runoff, and as a bonus, enriches the soil as it breaks down.

Don’t prune, fertilize or apply pesticides during a drought emergency. All of these put additional stress on your plants.

Put off major planting projects until water is more plentiful. All newly established plants require a lot of irrigation. It’s best to delay planting trees, shrubs and large herbaceous borders until the drought is over.

Choose drought-tolerant plants for pots and for filling in existing plantings. Certain characteristics indicate that a plant has low water requirements; plants with silvery, hairy, or fuzzy leaves, succulent leaves, a waxy coating and long taproots are good choices.

For your container plants, consider incorporating hydrogels into the potting soil. These water-retaining polymers hold several hundred times their weight in water and release it gradually to the plants’ roots.

Mow during the coolest part of the day, and leave the clippings, because they return small but valuable amounts of moisture to your lawn. Raise the mowing height, because taller grass shades the soil, reducing water loss.

Add organic matter to the soil as you plant. Compost and other organic matter increase the soil's ability to retain moisture.

Additional Gardening Resources

Check out these helpful resources for all of your gardening questions.

Watauga County Cooperative Extension Office
971 West King Street, Boone
828-264-3061
watauga.ces.ncsu.edu

North Carolina Botanical Garden
919-962-0522
ncbg.unc.edu

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
www.bbg.org

Plants for a Future, online database that catalogs more than 7,000 plants
www.pfaf.org

GardenWeb, an online gardening resource and forum
www.gardenweb.com

Henderson County Extension, online yearlong gardening calendar for the N.C. mountains
henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/content/GardenCalendar-NCMountains&source=Henderson