Ultimate Guide: How to Successfully Grow a Garden in a Dry Climate

Just because you live in a dry climate or are experiencing particularly dry spells doesn’t mean that you have to have a barren yard.

There are plenty of ways to have a flourishing garden filled with appropriate plants that thrive in dry climates. Xeriscaping is a great practice to adopt if you live in arid conditions and means that you don’t have to forgo the gardening fun.

Aside from simply growing hardy, drought-tolerant, ornamental perennials, there are a few tricks to help you grow fresh vegetables, too. With a few tweaks, some planning, and a bit of know-how, you can have a lush garden in the depths of a summer heat wave.

Source: Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton/YouTube

Mulch Mulch Mulch

This can’t be stressed enough. Mulch is the way forward for any garden in any climate under any circumstances.

Mulching has several positive benefits. First of all, you are adding nutrients to the earth and building soil. It also helps to slow down erosion. This is particularly important in arid areas as dry and dusty soil can be lost to the wind.

As well, when water does finally hit dry soil, it is less likely to be able to absorb it before it runs away.

Mulching also helps to regulate the temperature of the soil. It keeps the blazing sun off the soil during the day and insulates the soil from the cold night air.

Finally, and most importantly in a dry climate, mulch keeps moisture in the soil where it is so desperately needed. A mulched garden considerably reduces the amount of water needed as the sun is not able to dry it all up.

Source: Gardening Australia/YouTube

Be Water Wise

It is very important to conserve and use all the water you can when you are living in a dry climate. Any water that comes to your garden needs to stay there and be used where it is most needed.

One way to do this is to dig swales in your garden. These are, essentially, closed-in ditches that collect any rainwater and keep it on your land before it runs off into the street.

Swales tend to be dug above areas that particularly need water. As the water sinks into the earth it is distributed beneath the soil to the plants below it.

Water catchment is another important measure to take when you know there are long periods of drought on the horizon.

You need to be catching all the rainwater you can so that you have it on hand when times are desperate. Rainwater can be caught from roofs and stored in rain barrels until you need it.

Similarly, you can save any gray water that you collect and reuse it to water your plants. Gray water is described as wastewater from cooking, washing up, or bathing. Please note, that if you are going to use water from washing up or bathing, make sure that you use a nontoxic, biodegradable soap.

Another good idea is to water in the evenings after the sun has gone down or early in the morning before things heat up. This way, your plants have a better chance to get every last drop of water.

Also, water with a watering can instead of a hose. This way, you can be a little more intentional as to where the water ends up instead of soaking your entire yard.

Set Up Smart Irrigation Systems

Have you ever seen sprinklers that have been set up and left alone? How many times have you seen them missing their goal entirely while watering the pavement so beautifully? Not to mention all the water that is lost to evaporation. Sprinkler systems are not a good way to go.

Dripline irrigation is a much better way to make sure that the precious water goes directly to where it is needed the most–under the soil near the plants’ roots.

Source: Keela Permaculture Farm/YouTube

Be Picky about Your Plant Location

Use the hot dry summer months to make the most of that shady spot in your garden. The soil will likely be cooler and the sun won’t have had a chance to dry up all the moisture.

We often hear a lot about raised beds. They are all the rage for so many reasons. They help with drainage and allow excess water to flow away from roots.

However, if you are in a dry climate, you want the elusive water to stick around for as long as needed. As a result, sunken beds might be the way forward.

Sunken beds allow water to stay where it is needed and also tend to help to keep the plants cooler than in raised beds.

All that said, if you live in an area that is prone to flash flooding, sunken beds can be a problem. You will have to make sure that there is some way for excess water to escape so as not to drown all of your prized plants.

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