It has rained once since we arrived end of June. Since then we’re having 30-36 degrees every day, without rain. This confirms my intention to set up a garden with as little or no watering as possible.
Our housesitter had planted some tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, chilies, and zucchini for me. I currently go out early in the morning and water those vegetable plants with the watering can, directly to the roots. Yesterday I also spread straw on the ground around each plant and today I dug in a few clay oyas/ollas.
The straw alone has kept the moisture in the soil very well since yesterday morning, so one watering with the watering can should now last two days. The unglazed clay Oyas/Ollas should also ensure that the water gets into the soil and to the roots and doesn’t run away next to the plants.
This month I also sowed bush beans and a few lettuces. I covered the seeds with a white frost fleece to shade them. I also water them once in the morning.
I won’t sow any more seeds until the hot spell is over or it has rained properly again.
For next summer, I’ve bought tomato and melon seeds from the Italian website Seedshunters, which are supposed to work specifically for hot and dry areas and need little to no watering. I’m already looking forward to trying them out!
Otherwise, I will only sow and plant lettuce and other greens again in the fall or early spring – outside of the hot season.
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