Vegetables with low water requirements are becoming increasingly popular in our increasingly hot summers. Introducing 10 low-maintenance vegetables for dry, hot locations.
Not all types of vegetables can cope with dry soil in the hot summer months. The water requirement of the respective species plays a major role here. So which vegetables need little water? We introduce you to drought-tolerant vegetables and measures to reduce water requirements.
Which vegetables need little water?
Deep-rooted, robust vegetables are the best choice in dry and hot weather, as they can obtain sufficient moisture from the deeper layers of the soil for longer. They are therefore drought tolerant and have only a low water requirement. Introducing 10 vegetables for dry locations.
- Bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) have a significantly lower water requirement than runner beans. The soil should never dry out completely before flowering, which can be easily implemented with a layer of mulch.
- Lentils (Lens culinaris) are among the most undemanding types of vegetables, they require little care after sowing and thrive very well on dry, warm locations. The lentil 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 soil. The chickpea only needs to be watered a little 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 marrow and shell peas require less water than the crunchy mangetout.
- Radish (Raphanus sativus) has an extremely low water requirement, it hardly ever needs to be watered after germination. However, a little extra watering will soften the sharpness of the thick storage root.
- Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) can be grown outdoors without additional irrigation. After germination, a beet body is formed in which the beetroot stores water and minerals. The summer downpours are usually quite enough to harvest decent bedding.
- 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 tolerate heat and drought well. In longer periods of drought, however, the tiger nut should be watered sparingly.
- Maize (Zea mays) only needs a well moistened soil directly during germination. Once a stately young plant has formed, it hardly needs to be watered. In most cases, the summer precipitation is sufficient. Popcorn corn requires even less water than candy corn.
- Garlic (Allium sativum) stores moisture in its underground storage bulbs. In this way, it survives longer periods of drought unscathed and still produces a good yield. Excessive watering can even cause the garlic cloves to rot. Especially after planting the daughter bulbs, watering should be sparing, if at all.
- Onions (Allium cepa) generally have a low water requirement. During the onion's main growing season from mid-June to early August, watering should be given now and again to ensure a good yield. On the other hand, dryness and heat from the end of August promote the ripening of the onions until harvest.
Tip: Discover sustainable products for successful vegetable cultivation in our Plantura online shop, such as our peat-free or reduced peat potting soil in organic quality, which CO 2-reduced and climate-friendly. A good soil 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 if necessary.
How to reduce the water requirement of vegetables?
Most vegetables need a lot of water to grow and produce well. Fruit vegetables such as tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo convar .giromontiina) suffer quickly fromDryness. Cucumbers (Cucumis melo) often take on a bitter taste under drought stress and become inedible. Fast-growing vegetables such as lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and radishes (Raphanus sativus var. sativus) also tend quickly to wilt if the water supply is not sufficient. We would therefore like to introduce you to some care measures that help to reduce the water requirements of vegetables:
- Sow instead of plant: A vegetable seedling that has germinated on the spot quickly develops a deep root system in the lower layers of soil that remain moist for longer. If you already put large young plants in the bed, they will need a much longer time to penetrate into the depths. They are significantly more sensitive to drought, especially during the growing season. Therefore, if possible, sowing should be done instead of planting.
- Mulch: Covering the soil with plant matter reduces evaporation of soil water supplies while also providing food for your soil organisms. Compensatory fertilization is important here, since the decomposition of the mulch material binds nitrogen.
- Shade: Darken the south-facing walls of your greenhouse with cloths in midsummer. On the one hand, this reduces evaporation and, on the other hand, the dry and heat stress of the residents inside. Outdoors, rain roofs made of wood or metal can be darkened on the south side.
- Proper Watering: Water in the morning and evening at best, not during the hottest part of the day. In addition, plants should be watered directly at the bottom and never overhead.
Vegetables have different requirements and ripening times, which is why they are sown in different months. Our sowing calendar tells you which vegetables are sown in which month.