How To Save The Plants In Your Garden From Heat Damage (Without Spending A Cent)
When a heat wave rolls in and doesn’t let up, it can make even the strongest plants start to droop. I’ve watched tough tomato vines collapse under brutal afternoon sun one too many times to know that heat can do some serous damage to a garden. And after putting in so much work already, you don’t want one heat wave to come through and ruin everything. Here’s some advice on how to help your plants hang on when summer gets hot, because nobody wants their tomatoes to be roasted before they have a chance to pick them.
Water the Roots, Not the Leaves
I completely understand that it’s tempting to grab the hose and just give everything a quick shower. But when it’s hot, water on leaves evaporates fast and can sometimes even scorch the leaves when heated by the sun. What your plants really need is a deep drink, so water them right at the base of the plant. And, watering in the early mornings or after sunset are your best bets. That gives the water time to soak into the soil before the sun turns it into steam. A good, slow soak at the roots refreshes your plants, just like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day.
Shade Like a Pro With Stuff You Already Have
You don’t need to run out and buy fancy garden netting or custom tarps. I’ve used old bedsheets, beach umbrellas, and even a broken laundry basket turned sideways to give my plants some relief from the heat. The goal is to block out the worst of the afternoon sun without cutting off air flow to the plants. Try setting something up on the west side of your plants where the sun hits the hardest. It doesn’t have to look pretty, it just has to create some much-needed temporary shade to buy your garden a few cooler degrees of comfort.
Mulch Isn’t Just for Looks
A good layer of mulch is like sunscreen for your soil. It keeps the moisture in and the heat out, well, at least a little. You can use straw, shredded leaves, even grass clippings (as long as they’re chemical-free) instead of buying mulch. I’ve even mulched with newspaper in a pinch. Don’t worry if it looks a little messy. Your plants don’t care about aesthetics, they care about not cooking from the ground up. A layer that’s a couple inches deep to cover the soil is all you need to make a real difference.
Don't Be Afraid to Let Some Things Go
This one’s hard, but it’s something every gardener has to deal with. Not every plant will make it through a brutal heatwave. If one of your plants is clearly not going to recover, meaning it’s yellowing, shriveled, and there’s no signs of new growth, it might be time to pull it up. That lets the healthy plants have more resources. It might feel like it, but you’re not failing your garden or giving up. You’re helping the strongest plants survive so that you don’t lose your entire garden.
Ease Up on the Fertilizer
When it’s blazing hot, your plants are already stressed enough. Adding fertilizer can feel like you’re giving your plants a boost, but it’s kind of like giving someone coffee when they’re already having a panic attack. Heat makes it hard for roots to absorb nutrients anyway, so anything extra can actually do more harm than good. Go back to basics and focus on water, shade, and rest. Once the weather cools a bit, then you can think about feeding with fertilizer again. For now, just help them survive.
Keep an Eye on the Soil
You don’t need fancy tools to tell if your soil’s in trouble. Just stick your finger in. If it’s dry more than an inch down, it’s time to water. If it feels soggy, hold off. Overwatering can be just as dangerous as heat when temperatures are high. It suffocates the roots and invites rot. During a heatwave, the soil can trick you because it dries out fast on top, but might still be damp below. Keep checking in with your soil and touch it, don’t just look. Because when it comes to watering, there is such a thing as too much.
Don't Break A Sweat (Or Your Budget)
Gardening in extreme heat is humbling. Even experienced growers lose plants, but every summer heat wave is a learning opportunity. Like so much of gardening, you have to learn what works for you through trial and error. Every garden is unique and every garden needs different things. So when the next heat wave rolls around, give your garden a little extra love. It can’t escape indoors to air conditioning like we can.