The heat is upon us. Is your edible garden thriving? Is your soil protected?
It is 30degrees outside and most of New Zealand is experiencing an early summer heat wave. Phew. You won’t catch this blooming pregnant goddess out in the mid day heat. If forced to venture out, I navigate to all possible shade and wear a large sun hat, long sleeves and a scarf to keep the sun off my body.
Unfortunately our beloved plants do not have the luxury of seeking shade and shelter and nor does the soil. This months timely garden advice gives you our essential tips for ensuring your garden stays alive and thriving when the going gets hot!
Bare soil. Sad Plants.
1. Watch the weather
Keep an eye on the forecast and know when the hot, hot days are coming. Be sure to get out the evening before or early that morning to give your garden a BIG drink. Which brings me to…
2. Responsible watering
Do not water during the heat of the day. Many plants go into survival mode and will not uptake the water easily. Water in the morning or evening. When soil is really dry, water will not soak in well. Start with a light sprinkling and build up to ensure it is soaking in. If there is a chance of rain, give the whole garden a sprinkle as rain absorbs quickly into moist soil.
3. Mulch the soil
If your garden is not already mulched then get it done before the end of the week. Promise me this! Mulching keeps the soil cool, ensures the survival of soil microbes and prevents weeds. Without adequate cover, soil will loose moisture turning hard and compact.
After watering well, we applied wet newspaper and then mulch.
Seaweed, straw, cardboard, wet newspaper, wool underlay from old carpets and any carbon rich crops that you have pulled out all make great mulch. Be aware of using too many lawn clippings as they form a mat and prevent water absorption.
4. Choose a suitable location
The morning sun is cool and the afternoon sun is fierce. Place heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, squash, courgettes, chillis, eggplants, quinoa, amarynth, and corn in gardens that receive the hottest sun. Lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, rocket, and peas will do best if placed in cooler gardens and those that greet the sunrise.
Peas prefer a spot in the shade
5. Create shade
Shade cloth reduces the temperature of soil helping plants grow better in hot weather. The New Zealand sun is more intense than any other part of the world. Our skin can burn after just 10minutes in the summer such, and plants don’t fair well either. Protect plants by covering with shade cloth, netting or even a sheet on top of bamboo stakes or wire framing during the hottest days of the year.
Temporary shade cloth protecting seedlings from the sun
6. Reduce pot plant stress
Transplant your plants into the ground before the heat of summer. If you are renting place the whole pot in the ground ready to dig up when you move or when the weather is cooler.
Group all your pot plants together in a semi shady spot. Water each day, and keep feeding as watering washes away essential nutrients. A day without water can spell the end of it’s life for a pot plant so keep a watchful eye on them!
Following these tips will ensure your garden doesn’t scorch, shrivel and die away this summer. Comment below if you have your own hot tips to add to the mix. You can also post pics of what you are doing to protect your soil and plants in our online community. We love to hear from you!
Dive a little deeper
Learn more about garden location and soil prep plus everything else to create a pumping garden in our upcoming Online Edible Garden Design Course. Join our mailing list to ensure you don’t miss our when we launch in 2020.
Happy garden days,
Bridget xx