Drought Conditions the Next 3 Weeks
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Bountiful Backyards
Jun 28, 2009, 9:08:14 PM6/28/09
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Friends,
Looking around, wilting in the early NC heat this weekend in my own garden and was definitely noticing some stress signs, even with the wet spring that we had and the good amount of mulch and compost I've applied already. Anyway, Farmers Almanac, which has been dead-on about the weather patterns, particularly this year, is predicting hotter than normal temperatures for the next few weeks, with higher than normal rain-fall expected for late July and early August, so this may only last a few weeks, but it doesn't look like there's going to be any rain in the next two weeks.
So look for signs of stress on fruit trees (yellowing leaves, 'singed' or brown tips, wilting and drooping) and use those rain barrels and cisterns if you have them. If you have worm compost or an outdoor pile that is spreadable, its a great idea to utilize those as well. Make sure to get either wood or straw mulch over your compost so it can leach down to hungry roots.
In annual vegetable gardens, you can decrease weeds and retain the rain water that we received this spring by using a straw mulch on top of the beds. Its also a good time to cut back yarrow and comfrey if you have too much of it and spread that around your plants. Most of the perennials that we've planted are drought tolerant, but look for signs of stress with these flowers as well. Its a great time to re-mulch your garden, and we don't mind allowing folks to use our contractor's discount if y'all want to order some; we're also available for $25/hr to spread mulch if you'd like to but don't have the time. Give us a call or an email if you have any questions. Hope to see some of you at our workshop in conjunction with SEEDS on July 11th!
Happy Gardening!
Best
Keith and BB Crew
--
Bountiful Backyards
Landscapes You Can Eat!
www.bountifulbackyards.com
723 North Mangum Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919)-619-9862
Looking around, wilting in the early NC heat this weekend in my own garden and was definitely noticing some stress signs, even with the wet spring that we had and the good amount of mulch and compost I've applied already. Anyway, Farmers Almanac, which has been dead-on about the weather patterns, particularly this year, is predicting hotter than normal temperatures for the next few weeks, with higher than normal rain-fall expected for late July and early August, so this may only last a few weeks, but it doesn't look like there's going to be any rain in the next two weeks.
So look for signs of stress on fruit trees (yellowing leaves, 'singed' or brown tips, wilting and drooping) and use those rain barrels and cisterns if you have them. If you have worm compost or an outdoor pile that is spreadable, its a great idea to utilize those as well. Make sure to get either wood or straw mulch over your compost so it can leach down to hungry roots.
In annual vegetable gardens, you can decrease weeds and retain the rain water that we received this spring by using a straw mulch on top of the beds. Its also a good time to cut back yarrow and comfrey if you have too much of it and spread that around your plants. Most of the perennials that we've planted are drought tolerant, but look for signs of stress with these flowers as well. Its a great time to re-mulch your garden, and we don't mind allowing folks to use our contractor's discount if y'all want to order some; we're also available for $25/hr to spread mulch if you'd like to but don't have the time. Give us a call or an email if you have any questions. Hope to see some of you at our workshop in conjunction with SEEDS on July 11th!
Happy Gardening!
Best
Keith and BB Crew
--
Bountiful Backyards
Landscapes You Can Eat!
www.bountifulbackyards.com
723 North Mangum Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919)-619-9862
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