Drought-resistant vegetablesare increasingly sought after by gardeners due to climate change and water deficits emerging in Poland. We suggestwhich vegetables are best at dealing with droughtand what we can do to help vegetables survive hot and rainless days during summer. These tips will also help you reduce water consumption for watering your vegetable garden.
Carrots are one of the drought-resistant vegetables
Fig. depositphotos.com
Which vegetables are resistant to drought?
All vegetable species, including hardy ones, suffer damage in periods of drought. Dried vegetablesshed flowers, fruit buds, yields of lower quality. A short shortage of water is enough to cause gulping of a radish or kohlrabi or cucumbers to bitter. Heavy rain following a period of drought cracks tomato fruits, radish roots, and kohlrabi heads.
Depending on the resistance to drought, vegetables can be divided into
- Vegetables with high drought tolerance : carrots, parsley, beetroot, horseradish, scorzonera, kale, tall tomato, asparagus, peas.
- Vegetables moderately resistant to drought : Brussels sprouts, leek, pumpkin, green beans, dwarf tomato. Due to their high weight, these plants need significant amounts of water for proper development.
- Vegetables very sensitive to drought : cucumber, onion, lettuce, spinach, radish, celery, early cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Chinese cabbage. The root system of these species is located just below the surface of the earth and therefore very sensitive to water shortages.
When do vegetables suffer from drought the most?
Even more resistant to droughtvegetables need water especially in critical growth periodsPlants grown from seeds sown directly into the ground require high humidity during germination and emergence. On the other hand, vegetables that produce large fruits should be watered especially in the initial growth phase, during flowering and fruit setting. Continuous watering is expensive and burdensome, so try different ways to reduce water loss and ensure your vegetables survive critical periods with minimal yield loss.
How to reduce water consumption in the cultivation of vegetables?
Choosevegetable varieties best suited to dealing with droughtand high temperatures. Note that the most common national varieties may not be the best choice in the age of weather anomalies affecting our country.
Let's try our best to prepare the soil for the vegetable patches.The humus-rich soil has a high water capacity , which will enable the plants to use the water better. That is why it is so important to enrich the soil with organic fertilizers, such as compost, manure, as well as sowing plants for green fertilizers.Loosen the soil regularly so thatwill absorb and hold more water . It is important to loosen only the topsoil. Deep digging destroys its structure and beneficial microorganisms.
Nothing saves water in your garden faster and easier than a thick layer of organic mulch. Mulching helps to retain moisture and improves soil structure, which in turn promotes stronger, deeper rooting and plant growth.5-10 cm of organic mulch should be spread around the vegetablesMowed grass, nettles, dry leaves or shredded garden bark decompose over time, enriching the soil with organic material.
Let's support the development of the root system of vegetablesThe deeper and stronger they root, the more efficiently they will use the water remaining in the soil. For this purpose, we can use biostimulators based on amino acids or marine algae. These preparations support intensive root growth andincrease plant resistance to stress, including water deficiency
Let's plant the vegetables a bit more denselythan usual. As the green mass increases, the vegetables will cover the ground so much that the sun and wind will dry the soil less.
It is important that we harden the plants from the beginning. If we constantly water them, they will get used to it and will not cope with the drought.Limiting watering of vegetables , especially those grown from sowing, will require them to root harder to use the deeper water.
Water the vegetables less often, but abundantlyand only when the top layer of the substrate has time to dry. However, let's pay attention to proper hydration in critical periods for each species.
Horticultural hydrogels added to the substrate retain water and then systematically give it back to plants. Used in the cultivation of vegetables on the plot, they allow you to save water and enable its better use by plants.
Foliarfeeding vegetables with silicon preparationsand natural horsetail extracts can significantly reduce plant stress caused by drought. Silicon is an element that strengthens cell walls and increases the immune system of vegetables. It helps to reduce water loss in the plant. For this purpose, you can prepare an extract of the herb horsetail or reach for a ready-made horsetail preparation called Evasiol.
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Let's protect vegetables from overheatingThis is especially required by species whose fruits have a delicate skin, such as peppers, eggplants, zucchini or squash.For shading, we can use special nets or a thin, white agrotextile stretched over the plants in the form of a roof.
The timing of sowing vegetables is of key importance. Let's sow seeds and plant seedlings in spring and autumn to take advantage of the friendly ambient temperature and seasonal rains.
Whenever possible, let's grow vegetables from seedlings. Strong seedling can survive 2-3 days without water. Meanwhile, vegetable seeds sown directly into the ground require regular watering during the period of germination and emergence.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
