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Right now gardeners may be more concerned about the garden soil being too wet to get the garden ready for spring planting. Memories of dry summers seem a thing of the past. But we never know when Mother Nature may turn off the tap again, so gardeners have learned to plan for possible water shortages. When it comes to the landscape, you can always take the “xeriscape” approach. If areas of your yard are sunny, hot and dry, plant only the most drought tolerant plants there. If you really want azaleas and hostas, find a partly shady spot close to the water spigot. Just remember to keep everything watered the first growing season to get plants established. Vegetable gardens, fruit trees and berries need plenty of sun, but they also need a regular supply of moisture to produce a good crop. You can help any of your plants be more drought tolerant by doing a good job of preparing the soil before you plant. If you don’t correct soil pH or low phosphate problems, you can’t expect the plants to be able to grow a good root system. Hard clay soils can be loosened and aerated by working in plenty of organic matter such as compost and pine bark soil conditioner. Loosening the soil enables the plants to grow a large root system as quickly as possible. It also helps water to soak into the soil more readily so both natural rainfall and irrigation can be absorbed easily. The additional step we can take to have water available for those critical garden needs is to collect rain water for later use. This is not a new idea, of course. Cisterns and rain barrels date back to ancient times, and gardeners have never given up the practice. Just one rain barrel could save 800 gallons each year if it is filled and used twice a month from May through September. Or consider that one inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot roof amounts to 625 gallons of water. That’s a lot of rain barrels – or a very large cistern. Due to demand for such water conservation efforts, the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension office is offering rain barrels for sale. The 80 gallon barrels cost $110. Payment must be received by March 22 and barrels must be picked up on Saturday, March 27 at the WNC Farmers Market.
•80 gallon barrel measures 37 inches high and 28 inches wide. To order your barrel, mail your payment or drop it by: NC Cooperative Extension 94 Coxe Ave Asheville, NC 28801 If you have questions, contact Extension Master Gardeners of Buncombe County at 828-255-5522.
(Images provided by Buncombe County.)
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