Maintaining a garden is a lot of fun, as you can get your hands dirty and enjoy the fruits of your labor throughout the summer. However, it is also challenging when confronted with a heat wave. Summer heat and severe storms will wreak havoc on your garden when you’re unprepared. Here are some of the best ways to help your garden survive summer.
Select the Right Plants
Some plants more easily withstand hot temperatures or occasional dry weather, while others have different needs. Choosing the right plants is the first step to helping your garden survive summer. Look for heat-tolerant and drought-resistant plants that thrive during the hottest times of the year.
Some of the most popular heat-tolerant plants, vegetables, and fruits include:
- Cosmos
- Marigold
- Lantana
- Salvia
- Tropical milkweed
- Hot pepper
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Corn
- Zucchini
Add Shade to Help Your Garden Survive Summer
Shade blocks the heat and intensity of the sun, and there are numerous temporary solutions to help your garden survive summer. If you don’t have time to plan ahead, use a patio umbrella and stand to add shade to garden beds. For best results, take a trip to the garden center and purchase shade cloth. Transparency of 40% is perfect for most vegetable plants, while 60% is best for flowers and delicate plants.
Give Extra Care to Young Plants
Keep an eye on young plants and container plants closely during heat waves. Because plants in containers have their roots and soil exposed to more heat than when buried in the ground, they require extra water. On sweltering days, move the containers into a shaded area on your property.
Water Carefully in the Morning
Some inexperienced gardeners run the hose for a few seconds to water each plant and then move on. However, thorough watering is essential to help your garden survive summer. When you water too much or too little, plants will wilt and experience stress. Stress accelerates damage from the heat.
Water deeply in the early morning hours to ease stress and prevent damage. Watering during the hottest parts of the day means the water will likely evaporate before it soaks into the soil. Instead of watering the leaves of plants, focus on the ground and the soil beneath them.
Help Your Garden Survive Summer With Mulch
Mulch doesn’t just make your flowerbeds look finished; it helps protect plant roots from the sun and enables them to retain moisture in the soil. Choose compost or organic mulch not treated with dyes or toxic chemicals, especially if you apply it around vegetable or fruit plants. For an affordable and eco-friendly option, straw and chopped leaves offer some protection to help your garden survive summer.
Sevens Property Inspections provides inspection services to New York City. Contact us to book an inspection.