Low water consumption vegetables are becoming increasingly popular in our increasingly hot summers. We present 10 easy-care vegetables for dry, hot locations.
Not all vegetables can cope with dry soils in hot midsummer. The water requirement of the respective species plays a major role here. So which vegetables need little water? We will introduce you to drought-friendly vegetables and measures to reduce water requirements.
Which vegetables need little water?
Deep-rooted, robust vegetables are the best choice in drought and heat, as they can provide themselves with sufficient moisture from the deeper soil layers for longer. They are therefore drought tolerant and only have a low water requirement. We present 10 vegetables for dry locations.
- French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) have a significantly lower water requirement than runner beans. The soil should never dry out completely before flowering, which can be done well with a layer of mulch.
- lenses (Lens culinaris) belong to the most undemanding vegetables, they hardly need any care after sowing and thrive very well in dry, warm locations. The lens is originally native to the Mediterranean region and is therefore ideally suited to hot summers.
- Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) are particularly drought and heat resistant. They love warmth and prefer dry, nutrient-poor soils. The chickpea only needs a little watering during periods of extreme drought during the flowering period.
- peas (Pisum sativum) need sufficient moisture before flowering, but can cope well with drought afterwards. The more robust pith and pea peas have a lower water requirement than the crunchy sugar peas.
- Radish (Raphanus sativus) has an extremely low water requirement, it hardly ever needs to be watered after germination. A little extra watering, however, will soften the sharpness of the thick storage root.
- Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) can be grown outdoors without additional irrigation. After germination, a beet body forms in which the beetroot stores water and minerals. The summer downpours are usually more than enough to harvest proper prayers.
- Tigernuts (Cyperus esculentus) belong to the sour grass family (Cyperaceae) and form small, sweet-tasting nodules underground. As long as the plants can develop a good root system, they can tolerate heat and drought well. In longer periods of drought, however, the tiger nuts should be watered sparingly.
- Corn (Zea mays) only needs a well-moist soil when germinating. Once a stately young plant has formed, it hardly needs watering anymore. In most cases, the summer rainfall is sufficient. Popcorn corn requires even less water than sweet corn.
- garlic (Allium sativum) stores existing moisture in its underground storage onions. In this way, it survives longer periods of drought undamaged and still produces a good yield. Excessive watering can even cause the garlic cloves to rot. Water should therefore only be watered sparingly, if at all, especially in the period after the daughter onions have been planted.
- Onions (Allium cepa) generally have a low water requirement. During the main growing season of the onion from mid-June to early August, a little water should be given every now and then in order to get a good yield. On the other hand, drought and warmth from the end of August promote the ripening of the onion until harvest.
tip: Discover in our Plantura online shop Sustainable products for successful vegetable cultivation, such as our peat-free or peat-reduced potting soil in organic quality, which CO2-reduced and climate-friendly production. A good earth structure contributes significantly to the water balance in the soil. Our peat-free Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil has a high compost content, which stores moisture and releases it to the plant roots when required.
How can you reduce the water requirements of vegetables?
Most vegetables require a lot of water to grow and produce a good yield. Fruit vegetables such as tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo convar. giromontiina) suffer from drought quickly. Cucumber (Cucumis melo) often take on a bitter taste in drought stress and become inedible. Fast growing vegetables like lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and radishes (Raphanus sativus var. sativus) tend to wilt quickly if the water supply is insufficient. We would therefore like to introduce you to a few maintenance measures that will help reduce the water requirement of vegetables:
- Sow instead of plant: A vegetable plant sprouted on the spot quickly forms a deep root system in the lower, longer moist soil layers. If you are already planting large young plants in the bed, they will need a much longer time to penetrate into the depths. They are much more sensitive to drought, especially during the growing season. Therefore, if possible, sowing should be done instead of planting.
- Mulching: Covering the soil with plant material reduces the evaporation of the soil water supplies and at the same time serves as food for your soil organisms. Compensating fertilization is important, as the decomposition of the Mulch material Binds nitrogen.
- Shade: If you darken the south-facing walls of your greenhouse in midsummer, this will reduce evaporation on the one hand and the drought and heat stress of the residents on the other. In the open air, rain roofs made of wood or metal can be darkened on the south side.
- Proper pouring: At best, water mornings and evenings, not at the hottest time of the day. In addition, plants should be watered directly below the ground and never watered overhead.
Vegetables have different requirements and ripening times, which is why they are sown in different months. Our Sowing calendar tells you which vegetable is sown in which month.
