☀️ Gardening in Extreme Heat
With soaring temperatures it’s almost impossible to keep gardens thriving but there are still a few things you can do to give your outside space a chance of survival.
💧 Smart Watering
Smart watering means just that! Only water plants either early morning or later in the evening when temperatures have cooled.
It’s far better to give the soil around your plants a thorough soaking every few days rather than ‘surface’ watering daily.
If possible, an effective way to water plants is to make a small ‘trench’ around the base to pour the water into, to soak down to the roots.
If the plants aren’t actually ‘wilting’ the roots are already finding a source of water deeper in the soil.
🌱 Lawns & Water Use
Don’t waste any water on grassed areas, no matter how brown it appears. The grass will regrow when the rain comes.
🌳 Deep vs Shallow Roots
Deep-rooted plants have a much better chance of surviving as their roots can go deeper to search for sources of water.
Shallow-rooted plants need more water, but try to avoid overwatering as this encourages roots to come to the surface of the soil.
🍂 Mulching Matters
After watering be generous with mulching in order to retain as much moisture in the soil as possible which will help prevent the surface of the soil from drying out.
A mulch can be bark, un-treated grass clippings, compost, straw or leaves.
🥕 Vegetable Gardens & Shade
On veggies plots any plants with sprawling growth, like squashes, will naturally shade the soil.
Shade netting is also useful over vegetable plots to avoid edibles drying out and bolting.
🚫 No Fertiliser in Heat
Don’t be tempted to add fertiliser to plants during the hot weather as this encourages growth and plants need to conserve energy in order to survive.
Correct watering is more important for them.
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Village Gardens is a well-known landscaping and garden design firm in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, blending inspired design with a strong environmental focus.
Their expertise lies in creating water-wise, indigenous, edible and wildlife-friendly gardens.