Gardening During Drought (12 Tips)

Gardening during a drought can be a challenge, but gardening does not need to stop because of dry and hot conditions. A drought garden should focus on reducing water use, a method known as water wise gardening or xeriscaping. Gardener Scott discusses 12 considerations for reduced water needs for plants during a drought and offers a bonus tip that will save the most water. (Video #283)
Join the Gardener Scott channel to get access to perks. Click the "JOIN" button or link here:
/ @gardenerscott
You can also support the channel with Gardener Scott merchandise like T-shirts and mugs at the Gardener Scott Store: / @gardenerscott
Click this link to SUBSCRIBE: / @gardenerscott
To order a GreenStalk vertical garden system, click on this affiliate link:
lddy.no/kdvq
Use code"GARDENERSCOTT" for a $10 discount.
You can help support the Gardener Scott channel in five ways that won’t cost you anything extra:
1.) Be part of the community by liking videos, subscribing, clicking the bell, commenting, and sharing.
2.) Watch the ads whenever you can. It just takes a few seconds and helps me a lot.
3.) If you use Amazon and want to buy anything at all, click through with this link: www.amazon.com/...
4) Check out Gardener Scott's Recommended Gardening Books at: bookshop.org/s...
5) Click on this affiliate link to get Audible books that you can listen to in the garden: amzn.to/32bpgd7
Your support helps me pay for plants, gardening supplies, and all of the other costs associated with running a KZbin channel.
Thank you for your support!
#EnjoyGardening #GardenerScott
Links included in this description and referenced in videos might be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you for those affiliate links and your support allows me to provide free content every week on the Gardener Scott channel. Thank you!

[@theresaanndiaz3179]

We just got a mandatory 20% water reduction notice from our city. The hard part for me is that we have already been conserving water. I need all the tips I can get. Thank you.

[@kmiller6002]

It COMPLETELY blows my mind that it is ILLEGAL to collect rainwater. Lord what is this world coming to. I have 2 55 gallon drums that I collect inhere in middle GA. But VERY Smart of you to" Direct" the down spouts😉. Great video as Always Gardener Scott 💯💯. Everyone stay safe and God Bless you and your family from middle GA 🙏 Kendra

[@karenhaynes3125]

IDIOCRACY IS ALIVE!

[@kmiller6002]

@@karenhaynes3125 Very well said 😉😉

[@FloridaGirl-]

2 key words. PREPARE and SOIL! It’s easy to plant but the prep is the most important. You have such great advice Gardner Scott! 🎯. Your garden looks awesome!

[@Braedenfish]

My neighbors have a huge kiddie pool they used to dump twice a week on the ground.... now i pump it into huge totes in my backyard...to water non established plants. Once they get established they are on their own.

[@justpatty7328]

Fish emulsion is a rock star with good compost and mulch. This year I added chopped up and decaying branches underneath the raised beds I added. I also water by hand, worth every minute of knowing each plant is getting love.

[@maydaygarden]

A new neighbor from the Midwest who recently moved to So AZ remarked on Nextdoor about how hot the water was from her cold water tap. I was shocked to see the responses telling her to just let the water run until it cooled. I commented how wasteful that was. One of the responders said better to let it run, instead of running the risk of children scalding themselves (as if !!!). No wonder Lake Mead is at its lowest point in history!

[@dovh49]

lol, The water doesn't get hot enough to burn your skin. If you plant some native trees that might help a little to keep the water cooler outside and then just use the water was it comes in. But yes, I do remember in the summer time living in an apartment and the water heater was in an outside closet I wouldn't have to turn it on in the summer time.

[@dovh49]

Part of the problem is that water is priced at a market price. You want people and companies to use less water? Then say that the lake/ground water must be at a certain level. If the water starts to drop lower or is predicted to drop lower then raise the price of the water until conservation is in effect were people start using less water. You could say that you allow a certain reduced price under a certain amount to help the poor. Do that and most people will start to conserve water better. But if you just charge an outrageously low price (which Phoenix does - at least the last time I checked I no longer live there) then people won't even think about it.

[@dedesmith613]

Lake mead is down because illegal pot farms.

[@sharonmitchel1377]

Newbie vegetable gardener here! I’m fascinated by the shade cloth covered tall hoop trellis in your vegetable bed. It looks like 2 pieces of hog wore, but I don’t see how they are connected at the top. Do you have a video on building tall trellis like that one? I need to cover vegetables to protect them from Oklahoma’s huge insect population and possibly shade them this summer.

[@tamarabonet9438]

Very informative! I didn't realize that one of the main reasons to not water in the middle of the day is because of evaporation.

[@karinchristensen220]

I am at 7300 ft in altitude in west central New Mexico - in the middle of a severe drought. I think the main thing I have learned is to water less often but deep when I water. This way the plants send their roots down rather than staying near the surface. Then they can handle the dry heat during the day better.

[@anniecochrane3359]

Thank you for all these great tips - here in New Zealand drought was never a problem. But now I'm having to rethink my summer gardening in a changing climate. You've raised some great points that all go to helping me incorporate 'watering' into my garden planning.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

We drought proofed our garden in 2011 and the spring of 2012, and since we're in a low spot, it flourished anyway during that drought. We did the same in this last year, also not understanding that a drought was coming, but preparing the soil for it anyway. We can pour a bucket of rainwater into a garden bed, and it's designed for minimal evaporation and to funnel it into a low line for best concentration and deep soakage. It saves both time and water, and it collects even the heaviest rains efficiently, so there is little need for manual watering. we just have a few buckets under the roof, and when they fill up, we water the garden with them at the halfway point in the forecast to the next rainfall, further increasing watering efficiency~

[@johnjude2685]

I'm proud to say that I have rain barrow 3 infact, catching about 250 gallon each quarter inch of rain on my roof. I spend $0000 on out side water Some good advice you are giving and water is precious and God gave us a great gift that we must respect and preserve it Thanks and save our future

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Great insight for gardening during a drought! The one thing that has helped us over the years to to collect all the rainwater as possible. Some years that is tuff to do, but for 46 years we have been able to manage pretty well' We have never used our well...luckily. Great video! Thanks for the info! Take care!

[@theresaanndiaz3179]

Our rainy season is in winter and it barely rained. Sigh. When we redo the plumbing I am going to have the gray water routed outside into the garden.

[@NotGoddess]

I have 5 rain barrels for about 250 gallons of water storage. I've rarely watered the lawn or landscape - only the strong survive with deeper roots as a result. :) I am lucky in that I have clay soil that responds well to adding organic matter & holds a lot of water without being waterlogged. The last couple years I've been slowly shrinking my lawn from the edges and transforming it into a native garden for the enjoyment of myself and the wildlife. First year compost & wood chips to cover and amend the clay soil. Year 2 native plantings with enough supplemental watering to establish. Year 3 they are on their own unless the weather gets extreme. In year 5 I expect to have a quarter acre transformed and it'll look more lush. I also have very patient neighbors which helps. This year I started vegetable gardening on a small scale. 2 small raised beds with terracotta pots set in to act as ollas. I keep those filled from the rain barrels each day. Between those & the mulch the top of the bed stays dry so not too much weeding. The veg seem to enjoy it enough. First year for vegetables so I'm sure I'm still in for some surprises and let-downs but I'm already planning on how to improve on it for fall planting & expanding the use of ollas to other areas of the yard. It's a never-ending experiment.

[@sharonmitchel1377]

As a fairly new gardener in central Oklahoma, I find your videos very helpful! Thank you!

[@susanjordan2130]

Thank you. Just what I needed to know in our Utah drought.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

I like the shade cloth idea but really like your new covered area. Wish I had the room to do that. Instead I'm going to try using cattle wire up and over my lettuce bed next year and let some tomato and squash plants climb and block some of the sun. I just need to plant them earlier than the lettuce.

[@maggiemanzke7926]

Great timely information. Stay safe in the heat wave, everyone!

[@themusicbook8679]

That chicken put an exclamation point at the end of “enjoy gardening”! 😃 17:18

[@stephenhope7319]

Good advise as usual. Some of us remain constrained by HOA's as to what our front yard can be and that it remain green if lawn. Interesting issue here in Sacramento, Ca. The City ,because of drought conditions, want to limit lawn watering to 2 days a week. That lawn goes brown. HOA will cite for a brown lawn. I called my City Councilmember and was told we have to comply with the HOA, they take precedence over City rules!! So I water my front lawn at 4am when no-one is around. I make sure I don't soak the sidewalk, nor flood the gutter, none of my water makes it to the sidewalk but I have a green lawn and a happy HOA :)

[@GardenerScott]

You raise a typical concern in some areas. I'm lucky that my HOA doesn't have that restriction.

[@ale347baker]

That should be illegal. The HOA taking precedence over the government?

[@laurabehenna7950]

Thank you for these excellent tips. I spent the morning mulching the garden with what's available locally for free: wood chips, leaves saved from last year, and last year's larch tree needles. I'm trying to get it up to a depth where I won't need to water more than once a week. Pulled weeds also make good mulch if you remove any seedheads that might spread seed.

[@heidiclark6612]

Thank You for all the water saving tips. I will definitely use them.

[@JoeBlack14]

Yard is looking fantastic. So much growth in such a short time. Luckily I live in San Diego and we might be one of the only areas in California with full water reserves. We also have our own micro climate so it has not gotten above 90 yet.

[@tendraftsdeep]

Great video! Thank you. We've got pumpkins, sunflowers, squash, beans and Cherokee tomatoes just bursting with color right now

[@melissasullivan1658]

Lucky! My cherokees are full size but stubbornly green. 😒

[@tendraftsdeep]

@@melissasullivan1658 ours are just turning colors! It took longer than expected but hang in there!

[@maramorrison3144]

Thanks for the tips Here are a few of ours. We use all drip throughout our yard. We removed our back yard lawn and planted a low water Japanese garden. We use gray water from the rinse cycle of our washing machine to add to our watering system. We use a biodegradable detergent that is safe for plants even edibles.We get up to 15 gallons with each load. This system got us through the last drought with ease. We live in Fair Oaks close to Sacramento, plant zone 9b. Our temperature today was 111. We also water every three days as regulated, but we water in two sessions. The first one starts at midnight and runs for 15 minutes. The second cycles at 4:00 A.M. A master gardener shared the double watering tip. It works! Even during this hot, dry weather and drought our pollinator garden looks great. Cheers!

[@GardenerScott]

Those are good tips. Thanks.

[@ericlivingston8027]

Where I am in Colorado I always heard water before 10AM or after 6PM and I think I have heard of restrictions like that in the past. As time has gone on I have certainly started planting more perennials. I started a raspberry patch and 2 sweet cherries this year. Next year I plan to add 3 more cherries and add 5 genetic dwarf nectarines/peaches.

[@LileCremeans]

Great video Scott! I applied many of the same principles to my grass lawn. Through preparation and smart choices, I've used less water on my 10k sq ft lawn than I have on my 500 sq ft of garden space.

[@amymorales4622]

Wonderful tips! Thank you. Last year we had hardly any rain in the high country of Arizona.

[@tamararoberts9307]

Another great video Gardener Scott!

[@dedesmith613]

Saved my whole green house with a 10 dollar blue painters drop cloth over it kePT it 30 degrees cooler.

[@stephanieray6587]

Great video, Scott, thank you. Always appreciate learning a new word, like "xeriscape" I also just heard about "straw bale" gardening, which also cuts down on the need for water.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Great tips! I love your point of grouping plants by water needs - I've done that with my landscape plants to create xeric beds, but hadn't thought about doing the same with veggies.

[@Octoschizare]

Lawns only use water if you water them! Just don't. It may go beige in August but it'll come back eventually.

[@jamesalexbarnes1116]

Thanks, very useful.

[@lindadavidson2237]

Great videos!

[@victorybeginsinthegarden]

Compost bio char and mulch keep your soil covered

[@bc24roxy4]

my county gives cash credit for each sqft of lawn that you replace, unfortunately it is not advertised very well so a lot people don't know about it. I would've done it years before I did. I got rid of my lawns back in 2012 during a drought and replaced with xeriscaping and it cost me very little with the credit I was given for doing it.

[@tammibolender3785]

Unfortunately the husband and the landlord won't let me get rid of the lawn, but I don't water it, if the grass dies, it dies.

[@dovh49]

I'm using prostrated knotweed for my lawn in the backyard. It's been working out OK so far. I haven't been actively spreading it, just letting it spread itself. The kids don't mind walking on it with their bare feet so it acts just like a normal lawn would and the deer come and trim it down for me. Of course, coming from Arizona in the highlands no one really has a lawn so it works out nicely. I haven't seen anyone else using knotweed for their lawn and so I'm not sure if it would work long term. If not I'll plant some wooly thyme or some other walkable low water lawn replacement. See the site stepables with a dot com for other ideas for walkable lawn alternatives, I really like that site. (They didn't give me the idea of knotweed though :-)).

[@carladelagnomes]

Stepables is a very intelligent site. Many NICE ways to save water and still have beauty!

[@brightantwerp]

Thank you!

[@jenaejuarez5845]

Awesome video. Thank you. Do you have a video on plants that have similar water needs?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! I don't have a video on that yet, but it's a good idea.

[@TJtheHAWK]

Awesome video Scott. I'll take these tips into consideration during our next drought. Funny to watch this as new hampshire is in its 9th straight day of heavy rain. All my tomatoes are cracking and it's quite frustrating. I imagine you must not have tomato cracking in an arid climate as yours?

[@GardenerScott]

We get occasional thunderstorms that dump a lot of rain late in the season. They're usually followed by cracked tomatoes.

[@edsaunders1897]

Have you tried ollas, Scott? I find them a good way to water my night shades in particular without using much water. Good tips - thanks for the video!

[@GardenerScott]

Great idea. I have used them and they're on my list for a video dedicated to them.

[@fullgardening]

Nice🌱🌱🌱🌱🌺🌺🌺🌺🤝🤝

[@pamelacorsi]

Here is Massachusetts we had an extremely hot dry June and now July has been nothing but rain. It's usually the other way around and it has caused a lot of stressed plants. Just yesterday and today will bring another 4-5 inches! Any tips for too much rain?

[@GardenerScott]

Instead of shade cloth, I cover with tarps or plastic sheets to shed the rain. It works best for raised beds.

[@lovealwaysjasmine]

No fertilizing even when a plant is fruiting? I added a “mulch” of homemade compost to all my beds. Do you think that’s enough nutrients? Also how do you know which plants to shade

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on your soil. If your soil has enough nutrients then a mulch on top may be enough to supplement it. When you choose plants, the seed packet, plant tag, or catalog description can help give an idea of how much sun it needs.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Ok Scott question on this topic. I have an area where I placed some plantings yesterday. (5 Perennial Flowers) However I'm concerned because the soil was mostly rock and crushed stone like dust. At one time a pool was there. Do you think these flowers will survive or should I remove and replace with amended soil? Thank You in advance!

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on the plants and their water needs. Generally, better soil means better results.

[@musicalxnoise]

God I’m in NE and my plants never get a chance to dry these days.. I’m afraid rot may set in soon..

[@janfelshaw8217]

Try using raised beds. They will drain off better. If possible please send some our way 😁. SE Idaho.

[@jenpaige3110]

@gardener scott, what is that red bush in your front yard? Its gorgeous!

[@GardenerScott]

It's a Barberry.

[@dedesmith613]

Build your raised beds on four legs raise them three feet above the ground less bending and better use of land shade plants can be planted under them like strawberries.line the inside of box with weed black plastic a low for drainage.to plants underneath.less bending more production.check out Kentucky's hydroplantaions no soil but can be grown everywhere.this wastes water the raised three foot beds keep more water in dirt doesn't sink down into the earth's soil.

[@coramurray8211]

I'm curious- when you amended the soul for your front yard, did you amend the entire sq footage, or only where you were actively planting? How deep did you do so? Thanks for the video! I'm on the NC coast and we seem to get a series of mini-droughts. We'll get 2 weeks of nothing at 90+ degrees, then a storm every day for week. It makes tracking soil moisture a nightmare for my vegetables!

[@GardenerScott]

I amended the whole space because I'm planning on planting everywhere. I used 6-12 inches in most of the areas I'm planting perennials.

[@Octoschizare]

I really can't come up with a satisfactory idea why it would be illegal to collect rainwater! I'm sure there are some valid reasons, but I'm not sure I will find that they outweigh the benefits. Maybe in dry areas, the city wants all rain to go into storm sewers and then they collect and purify it to become part of the municipal water supply? I can see how that's better than people selfishly keeping their lawns green during a drought, but why not instead make it illegal to water lawns, so that water can still be collected for gardens, especially food gardens.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

One reason, is the potential to sell that water, or the fear thereof. That was the rationale that our water municipality had before they relented a few years ago, now, as long as you don't sell your rain water, your OK to collect.

[@Octoschizare]

Wow, individuals selling rainwater?! That sounds like 3rd-world-country kind of behavior, but I guess I have the bias of living with an abundance of clean water here in Canada.

[@GardenerScott]

It goes back decades to when states like Arizona, Nevada, and California bought water rights from the Colorado River. The rainwater was determined to be owned by someone else because it would flow to the river.

[@cheersmeme]

HI Scott.. I'm looking thru your videos to see if you have one on how to setup a DIY drip irrigation system. I'm getting confused, if i found your video , I know you would explain it so I wouldn't get confused 😂 😂 I have everything to set mine up. Videos are saying I need a water pressure regulator ,filter, backflow 1/2" hose faucet adapter , So all the Emitters don't pop off. This is the first water video I found in your list, so I stopped here to ask my question lol. I have 8 Rubbermaid bins of Red Wiggler Worms. I use lots of castings in the garden . I put a RV water filter on my garden hose so the chlorine and everything else that's in my city water doesn't kill everything in the castings. My question is ... Since I use a RV water filter. Do you think I would still need to buy one of those adapters ? OR will the RV filter also slow the pressure down? If you have a video on setting up a drip system , can you send me the link please.. Cheers from Toronto Canada

[@GardenerScott]

I don't have a drip irrigation video yet. Much depends on your water pressure. I never had a problem with emitters popping off in any home system I've used. I think an RV filter should be enough for any system you set up. It should also reduce pressure so if yours is high that may help.

[@cheersmeme]

Thank you Scott 😊 That's what I was hoping you would say. You are the best❣️ Your knowledge and your easy-going voice makes whatever your teaching us so easy to understand. Especially for us that has no idea of something, then watch your videos and BAM!!! We now know what to do.. 😊 Cheers

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Thank you from Wales. Great video! Why was it illegal to collect rainwater in colorado?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! The Colorado River flows through Nevada, Arizona, and California where cities and farmers in those states have bought the rights to that water. Since our rain fills that river, our laws are written with an understanding that each drop is owned by someone else and an individual like me can't prevent it from reaching its future owner. Sounds a bit crazy, but that's the way it is.

[@Pixieworksstudio]

@@GardenerScott Wow, that is crazy isn't it. I wonder if it will change. Thank you. Really interesting.

[@karenhaynes3125]

NM GETS LESS THAN HALF THAT. THIS YEAR (JULY) APPROX. 3 INCHES SO FAR, AND AZ EVEN LESS!

[@cypherknot]

Your amazon link doesn't work.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. I don't have a dedicated page on Amazon. The link does work, but just goes to a basic home page.

[@lastchancemonicam3948]

Dear G.S. Monica M. here. Thank you for the videos. Just a simple reminder about my email. I've not heard back from you.

[@GardenerScott]

Try again at [e-mail].

[@lastchancemonicam3948]

@@GardenerScott I just sent it.

[@tranthiduyen615]

Xin chào anh.

[@ecologytoday]

Google translate : Hello

[@tranthiduyen615]

@@ecologytoday xin chào

[@stephen12264]

Why would it be illegal to collect rain water from your own roof ?

[@GardenerScott]

In Colorado the water legislation goes back decades to when our water was sold to states like Arizona, Nevada, and California. The rivers are supplied by runoff so the laws assume that the water coming off roofs is owned by someone downriver.

[@pneugass]

I cannot believe you are not allowed to collect water. Ridiculous.

[@Stynkyvision]

Jeez, $20/month? I have a long way to go, I'm at about $90/month and it's not making me happy. Thanks for the tips and the inspiration!