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Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
How to care for an organic vegetable garden during a drought, heat
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
Having a vegetable
garden is tough
enough these days
to deal with snails, rabbits,
and other pests and diseases.
But now one must
also deal with the drought,
the heat and the fires.
Well, you can do it!
Here are some tips to
help you grow vegetables
during these climate
changes.
First off, you must
control your urge to
water more. No amount of
watering will keep your
vegetables from frying in
the heat. Your tomatoes
will fare worse. So, what
to do?
A raised bed is the ideal
way to grow vegetables.
The beds will allow you
to control the health of
the soil. It will allow you
to control your water usage.
It will allow you to
control animals and other
pests. It will allow you
to control heat and sun
damage.
You can make a raised
bed out of anything that is
available to you. You can
make it out of untreated
wood or out of rocks or
even bricks.
With a raised bed, you
can erect a cover that you
can use to control the
temperature, as well as
control the sun from burning
the plants. There are
many row covers that can
be bought and converted
as a raised bed cover. You
can get a type of shade
cloth that you can put over
the bed, reducing the sun’s
damage.
Having said that, I
would like to add that
what you can do to really
make the raised beds work
even better is to build a
greenhouse and have the
raised beds inside the
greenhouse. You will be
amazed as to how much
control you will have. You
can regulate the temperature
of both the greenhouse
as well as the soil.
You can control the water,
as well as control light.
Many greenhouses can
be made that allow you
to control the amount of
light that enters as well
as the amount of air.
You can make your own
microclimate inside of a
greenhouse. A greenhouse
will not stop the fires from
burning but will allow you
to grow year-round.
You can add a watering
system via drip line
to each raised bed. You
can add misters to allow
it to water above as well
as cool off. A misting system
is easy to make and
install. An advantage of
a greenhouse is also that
you can add a fertigation
unit to the water before it
enters the greenhouse. A
fertigation unit allows you
in add an organic liquid
nutrient as the plants get
watered.
Another idea is to
grow other plants in large
containers, such as various
fruit trees or other type
of fruit bearing plants or
even vines. The variety of
plants can be managed to
allow the right amount of
light inside.
One should try to keep
the bulk of the water
underground. Raised beds
allow this to happen quite
well.
Another thing you can
do with a greenhouse is
to make it detachable, so
that you can take out parts
as needed. You will not be
needing the greenhouse
year-round. So, during
those times when it is not
needed, you can remove
the parts and return them
when needed.
The same holds true
for light, in that you can
control the amount of light
your plants get. Vegetables
and all plants require a
certain amount of light to
grow correctly. You can
use LED lights to fill in
the missing light. This will
allow you to extend your
growing season as well as
day length.
Not everyone can grow
inside a greenhouse. You
can still have a garden
by making rowing covers
for your vegetables. You
should always keep the
water below ground. Be
generous with applying
mulch. Your garden can
have soaker hose buried
and then covered with
layers of hay and compost.
You can plant directly
into this. Plants will keep
cooler and grow better
with this type of system.
Another thing you will
need to do is to grow
plants that are from
hot areas of the world.
These plants can withstand
warmer and hotter
weather. So, do not get
your seeds from the local
nursery but order directly
from seed growers in these
types of countries. You
can do a Google search for
vegetables from hot countries
and order from them.
There are also many organic
seed companies that
sell seeds from around
the world. You also can
join an international seed
exchange. Facebook has a
large selection of gardening
groups from around
the world. Do a search,
and you will be surprised
as to how many there are.
Also, there are many
types of vegetables that
you would never think
of growing, let alone
eating — many of which
are flowers. Here are a
few you can try growing
during hot and dry
weather: allium, anise,
arugula, basil, cilantro,
squash, marigold flower,
chamomile, chrysanthemum,
citrus blossoms,
dandelion flowers, dill,
English daisy, hibiscus,
impatiens, Johnny jump
up, nasturtium, lemon
verbena blossoms, rose
petals, sunflower petals
and violets.
There are a variety of
corn, tomatoes and peppers
that love the heat.
Many herbs will do well
and require little watering.
Another important thing
to remember is never to
fertilize during a heat
wave. This will only burn
your plants. You can give
them compost tea, either
through your fertigation
system or poured around
the base of the plants,
though. Organic fertilizers
can be applied if needed
and in small amounts.
I would apply at night
and watered in well, then
mulched over.
One more thing about
seeds. Please try to save
seeds from any plant that
you are growing which
does well. The seeds will
produce plants that are
better able to grow under
these conditions. Save
their seeds and use them,
and they will be even better
than their parents.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.
pepp honor
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