S1 Ep 35: Drought Proof Gardening: Mulch, Containers and Water Saving Tips
6/11/202658 min
In this episode, Martha and Jamie share practical ways to drought proof your garden, from mulch, compost and hydrophobic soil, to container watering tips, dense planting advise, drought-tolerant crops and wildlife support. They also explore the power of earth smiles, swales, zai pits, and what drought stress actually does to plants and how to over come it. A practical episode full of tips, personal anecdotes, and advise for building healthier soil and stronger garden systems.
And If you would like to grow our seed of the week, or some of the other varieties we discussed, you can find the links below:
Chicory Rose of Venice:
https://shegrowsveg.com/product/chicory-rose-of-venice/
We love hearing your questions and comments - so please do get in touch:
Presented by: Martha Swales and Jamie Walton
Video Editor and Socials: Thomas Griffin
Artwork: Rare Studio
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMartha Swales· Host0:00
I really hate watering.
Jamie Walton· Host0:01
[laughs] We don't have the resilience set up, so if we do have those extremely dry summers, then the whole garden kind of collapses, more or less.
Martha Swales· Host0:09
When they get dry, they close those openings to stop transpiration- Yeah ... which means they can't photosynthesize.
Jamie Walton· Host0:15
Mm.
Martha Swales· Host0:15
So a drought-stressed plant cannot grow.
Jamie Walton· Host0:18
Swales work in a very similar way. Earth smiles.
Martha Swales· Host0:20
Fantastic that my, my surname is literally a boggy depression in the earth.
Jamie Walton· Host0:24
[laughs] In reality, the more dense the bed is planted, the more resilient it is to drought. In this week's episode, we're talking about drought-proof gardening.
Martha Swales· Host0:33
We've got loads of practical tips for how you can make water go further this summer.
Jamie Walton· Host0:38
How earth smiles have been used to re-green arid landscapes.
Martha Swales· Host0:41
My top tips for container gardening.
Jamie Walton· Host0:43
And why water conservation is essential for supporting wildlife. I'm Jamie Walton, otherwise known as Nettles and Petals.
Martha Swales· Host0:51
And I'm Martha Swales of Marv's Kitchen Garden.
Jamie Walton· Host0:54
Welcome to Homegrown, the plant podcast for those who want to know more and grow more.
Martha Swales· Host0:58
Your one-stop show for fascinating facts and practical advice from the incredible world of useful plants. Homegrown is brought to you by She Grows Veg, our go-to seed company for their beautiful array of heirloom veg seeds.
Jamie Walton· Host1:11
And as well as supporting the podcast, they're also offering our listeners 20% off your first order with code HOMEGROWN.
Martha Swales· Host1:16
So head over to shegrowsveg.com, and happy growing. Jamie.
Jamie Walton· Host1:21
Hello, Martha.
Martha Swales· Host1:23
Oh, do you know, it's always lovely to see you.
Jamie Walton· Host1:25
Thank you. [laughs] [laughs] Wish I could say the same.
Martha Swales· Host1:28
Oh, well. [laughs] What