Hakala - Drought Gardening

by Sue Hakala

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Hakela, Sue

Drought gardening / by Sue Hakala
A Storey Publishing Bulletin, A-73
ISBN 0-88266-287-2

What do we mean by drought? From a gardeners point of view, a drought is any extended period of time when the water needs of a garden are not met by the available rainfall. A drought period may last only a few weeks; but in parts of this country, droughts occur which may last years.

Water shortages are in the news these days. Parts of the country are gripped by an extended drought. And, as the population expands, urban and suburban gardeners in many parts of the country are finding that water is becoming expensive, or, in some cases, unavailable in large quantities.

Most vegetables require about an inch of water a week for healthy growth. But even in a dry year you can have a successful garden. Successful vegetable gardening under dry weather conditions will be a challenge as you learn to create the best possible growing conditions for your plants, become sensitive to the needs of your plants how they look when they are thriving and healthy, how they look when they need water and make the best use of the water you have. That is what this bulletin is all about.

A major cause of water shortages these days seems to be pollution. We have all heard about industrial dumping in rivers, streams, and coastal waters. Runoff water carrying sewage, fertilizers, and agricultural chemicals also contaminate fresh water. Chemical dumps and nuclear wastes are seeping deep into the earth and polluting the centuries-old groundwater. Over half of all large cities in the country are not able to meet the drinking water standards set up by the Clean Water Act of 1977. In many areas of the country, deep underground reservoirs, or aquifers, are being pumped out faster than nature can replace them by rainfall or snow. Water tables and groundwater levels are dropping precariously low.

Additionally, rain does not fall evenly across the country. Looking at the map below, we can see that the country is pretty much divided between the arid west and the humid east. This map is based on average summer precipitation only; recent droughts in both the East and West have resulted in local reservoirs and waterways dropping to their lowest levels in years.

Rapidly growing metropolitan areas, a higher standard of living (more appliances and more bathrooms per household), and industrial growth have necessitated the careful regulation of water consumption. In some areas, water use has been restricted. We are all familiar with an occasional ban on car washing or lawn sprinkling. In the very near future, such restrictions on water usage could become commonplace.

Average Summer Precipitation (JuneAugust)

The best hedge against being caught short of water is to learn to conserve water now. Using less water in your home (or reusing household gray water) will leave you with more water for your garden.

Choosing the best location for your garden and selecting the best varieties to grow can make a significant difference in the yields you will be able to expect.

When determining the size of your garden, keep in mind the availability of water. If you are a beginner, a garden that is ten feet by fifteen feet is a good size to start with. In times of drought, a small, intensively grown garden is recommended. It will yield the most produce, yet require the least water.

Most gardening books tell you to locate your garden to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. But locating the garden in an area where part receives the morning sun and afternoon shade will help to keep moisture in the soil. The garden should receive at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Cool-weather crops, such as peas, lettuce, carrots, and members of the cabbage family can stand more shade than warm-weather crops, such as tomatoes or sweet corn.

The easiest way to provide shade is to locate your garden near buildings. Although trees and shrubs will provide shade, they will also compete with your garden plants for scarce water supplies, and so are best kept at a distance.

Locating your garden near buildings will give you the added bonus of providing a wind break. Wind robs plants of precious moisture by speeding up evaporation losses. Wind breaks and shade can be provided by fences also. Living fences, such as sunflowers, are just as effective as man-made fences; but remember that they will require water to thrive also.

You can make dual-purpose wind and shade breaks by stretching burlap over a framework of 1x1 boards. These can be portable to enable you to move them about as the wind direction changes or to give a plant more or less sun.

Take care to locate your garden in a level area. If the area is sloped, precious water will run off the garden. Often, topsoil and nutrients will be carried away with that water a real waste. Also, a south-facing or west-facing slope will be drier than a level area or a northern or eastern slope.

Is the best soil available on the site you are considering? If not, relocate to richer soil, if possible. Although we will give you plenty of tips on how to improve your soil, start with the best possible location.

Finally, if water supplies are severely restricted in your area, consider growing just a few vegetables in containers. (More on container growing later.)

Water restrictions during the summer vegetable-growing season can severely affect crop production of some varieties. Unfortunately, very little scientific research has been done on the effects of drought on small-scale vegetable production. But we do know a few facts about vegetables that we can put to use.

Some vegetables are considered water-efficient because they produce the greatest amount of food with the least amount of water. These water-efficient vegetables include beets, carrots, lettuce and other greens, onions, and turnips. They are water-efficient because we eat the entire plant (with the exception of carrot tops). Did you know that a single corn plant will use fifty-four gallons of water during the season to produce just two ears of corn? Corn is considered a very inefficient water-user.