We're in a drought — how do I keep my garden going?
Mulch, deep infrequent watering, and cutting back on what you're growing are the three adjustments that make the biggest difference during drought conditions.
Mulch is the highest-leverage intervention during a drought. A 2–3 inch layer of straw, shredded leaves, or wood chips over the soil surface dramatically reduces evaporation from the soil surface — in high-heat conditions, a mulched bed can retain moisture nearly twice as long as a bare one. Apply mulch while the soil still has some moisture; mulching over dry, cracked soil traps the dry condition. Water first if needed, then mulch.
Water deeply and less frequently rather than lightly every day. A deep watering that penetrates 8–12 inches into the soil encourages roots to grow downward, where moisture is more stable and temperatures are cooler. Frequent shallow watering keeps roots near the surface, where they're most exposed to drying and heat. A simple test: water, wait 30 minutes, then dig down 6 inches. If the soil is wet at that depth, you've watered adequately. If not, water longer.
During drought, triage your plantings. Water established fruit-bearing plants (tomatoes, peppers, squash) before starting new seedlings. Water in the morning when temperatures are lower and less water evaporates before reaching roots. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses deliver water directly to the root zone without losing moisture to evaporation from overhead sprinklers.
Some vegetables tolerate drought noticeably better than others once established. Swiss chard, amaranth, sweet potatoes, and dried beans can continue producing with significantly less water than tomatoes or cucumbers. Shifting part of the garden toward more drought-tolerant crops in a year with persistent drought allows some harvest without overextending limited water supplies.
- TomatoThe warm-season anchor of the summer garden.
- PepperA tropical perennial grown as an annual — patient, slow, and particular about warmth.
- CucumberA thirsty vine that wants warm soil, steady water, and something to climb.
- KaleThe cold-weather workhorse that improves when everything else quits.
- CarrotA root crop that rewards patience and deep, rock-free soil.
- Black RotV-shaped yellow lesions at brassica leaf margins with blackened veins inside — a bacterial disease that moves through the vascular system.
- Gray Mold (Botrytis)Gray-brown fuzzy mold on fruit, flowers, or stems — soft, collapsing tissue beneath the coating in cool, wet conditions.
- Brown Marmorated Stink BugSunken, corky dimples on fruit and pods caused by a mottled brown shield bug feeding through the skin.
- Cabbage MaggotBrassica transplants wilting and dying as white maggots tunnel through roots at or below the soil line.
- Carrot Rust FlyRusty tunnels through carrot and parsnip roots made by small white maggots feeding inside the root.
- My tomatoes wilt every afternoon in hot weather — is something wrong?Midday wilt on hot days is often a normal, temporary response to heat load — if plants recover by evening, the roots are functioning and the wilting is a water conservation mechanism, not distress.
- What is that black leathery patch on the bottom of my tomatoes?Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency at the fruit level, almost always caused by irregular watering rather than a lack of calcium in the soil.
- Why are my tomatoes cracking and splitting?Tomato skin cracks when the fruit expands rapidly after a period of drought — inconsistent watering is almost always the cause, though some varieties are simply crack-prone.