X is for Xeriscape Vegetable Gardening

Fig trees like dry feet, so would be good for xericaping.
(I know. Figs are fruit not vegetable.)

 If someone had asked me if xeriscaping was compatible with vegetable gardening, I would have said no, at least not for the vegetables I'm familiar with. I would have been wrong. There are some vegetables that will do okay without lots of water. With a bit of poking around, I found information that will be useful to me while gardening here, even though on paper we have adequate rainfall. The problem is it's all an average and we usually have a long dry spell at some point in the summer. Here are a few tips I learned about growing vegetables without much water.

Miss Lander's oregano

--There are many herbs that do well in dry conditions. Oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and lavender are some of them. Currently, I am not growing any herbs, but I have had good luck with oregano, rosemary, and lavender in the past. They thrived in the "plant and forget" environment I provided for them.

--Plant vegetables that mature quickly, so they will be ready before the long dry part of summer arrives. Good ones for this are radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, and beets. I have all of these growing now. I got them in earlier than last year, so maybe I will have a better yield before the warmer, drier weather sets in.

Miss Lander's sweet potatoes

--Okra, sweet potatoes, and muskmelon do well in drought. I won't be growing any of these since they're not my favorite.

 --Raised beds and/or well tilled soil allow roots to grow deeper, so the plant will be less effected by no rain. We put in raised beds last year and tilled the soil below them before we filled them. The soil in them is a big improvement to the native rocky soil.

 --Mulching is a good way to retain moisture. We mostly use straw for this and we have some leftover for last year.

 --Legumes do not need as much water as many vegetables. We're growing peas now, but not sure we will have room for any of the warmer weather ones. 

--Install a rain barrel to collect water to use later. Ward installed a rain barrel last year for my birthday. It has been very handy this spring for watering the new plants.

So how about that. I am already doing some of the things recommended for xeriscape gardening. I was just doing them to make things easier.

How much rainfall do you have where you live? What do you do about watering plants?

Sources:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/xeriscape/integrating-vegetables-and-herbs-into-the-xeriscape-garden.htm

https://www.rainharvest.com/blog/?p=474

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscaping#:~:text=Xeriscaping%20is%20the%20process%20of,eliminates%20the%20need%20for%20irrigation.&text=In%20some%20areas%2C%20terms%20such,smart%20scaping%20are%20used%20instead.

Thankful Sunday, August 2, 2020

I am thankful for rain.

We got measurable rain last night--a whole 1/2 inch! I'm so happy. I've never lived in an dry climate and don't know if I could. There is something so refreshing about rain--especially when it's been scarce (no measurable rain for weeks here). And to top it all off, we got our new rain barrel installed just in time to get it filled up with the latest rain. The barrel is located close to our vegetable beds, so this should make watering them easier. So for rain along with a full rain barrel, I am thankful.

Day lily

Chrysanthemum 

Caladiums 

Iris leaf with Creeping Sedum

Fig tree

Cucumber

Pool of water in squash blossom. There was a very disappointed bee that couldn't get to the pollen here.

While the rain was going on, baby house wrens were hatching in their dry nest box.

The rain barrel was made from an old olive barrel.