It’s June 2022 and here in Southeast Texas, we are in a drought period. It’s been months since we have had a good rain.
It’s dry and HOT. Miserably hot.
The heat is nothing new to Southeast Texas, but we usually get plenty of rain.
The weather can be a fickly mistress. You need to be prepared for just about anything.
I do several, simple things that help my plants to whether the heat and drought.
- The first thing I do is to chose plants that are able to handle drought and heat. In the video I talk about 4 plants that I have that require no extra water and are still producing.
- Moringa trees
- Cuzucca squash
- Malabar spinach
- Sweet potato
- Secondly, I mulch heavily. I use woodchips over the all the gardens. This helps to keep the soil cooler and hold in the water. I get mulch for free from the tree trimmers. You can stop them while they are trimming the trees around the electrical lines and ask them to deliver them to your house.
- I collect rain water.
- I collect the water that drips off my air conditioner.
- I save my dish water (make sure you are using environmentally friendly soaps). I wash my dishes in a small tub that fits in my kitchen sink, and then pour that water in a bucket. Because I am on city water, I let it sit overnight to let the chlorine in the water dissipate.
What easy tips do you have to help plants during a drought? Comment below.
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Question: I like the idea of collecting water from various sources (like the holding pond adjacent to the house that you displayed), but what method(s), if any, do you use to prohibit or otherwise discourage mosquito breeding in such areas, given that these are outdoor storage areas?
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Great question. I like to use mosquito dunks (which reminds me to get some more). Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Summit-responsible-solutions-110-12-Mosquito/dp/B0000AH849/ref=asc_df_B0000AH849/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198076816763&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12817132749367892781&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027853&hvtargid=pla-328943551812&psc=1
You can also you some fish that eat the larvae. The only reason that I haven’t done that is I drain the little pond about 5 times a year and that would kill them.