By Jacki Andre
Image source: Pixabay.com
Whether you live in an area susceptible to drought (hello American Southwest!) or not, chances are your garden at some point will experience dry conditions.
If you’re fortunate, you can just hook up a hose and let your irrigation system run. But in some cases, water may be rationed or it might not be feasible or possible to water a garden by turning on a tap.
Since droughts will happen, it’s smart to plan ahead. There are several things you can do to prepare, such as choosing your garden location wisely. Ensure your vegetables are shaded during the hottest parts of the day and keep them far from ornamental plants, shrubs, trees and lawn so that they don’t have to compete for precious water. Once you have the best possible location chosen, the next step is choosing drought-tolerant vegetables and seed varieties.
The one vegetable to avoid planting if you anticipate drought is corn. Corn grows quickly, passing rapidly through several different stages. It requires a lot of water to support that growth. If corn is stressed from a lack of water during an early stage, all of its subsequent stages will be negatively affected.
Other crops that perform poorly during droughts can still be planted, with some planning. Cool-weather crops, for instance, will not do well in hot, dry conditions. However, if they are planted in early spring or early fall (as they should be), they will avoid the worst of drought season. Cool-weather crops include most leafy greens (such as lettuce, mustard, arugula, collards, kale, spinach, and Swiss chard), turnips, radishes, peas, carrots and cabbage.
Most other vegetables will do at least moderately well during extended periods of high temperatures and limited water. However, for best results, Click to see the original article