Summer Bonus Episode: Protecting your Garden Through Extreme Weather

We’ve seen a lot of extreme weather this summer, from high winds and flooding to record breaking heat and drought. In this bonus episode, Mangesh is giving you tips for protecting your plants and garden through the various types of weather phenomena you may experience wherever you live. 

For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey there, I'm Mungas Particular, a co host of Part
Time Genius, one of the founders of Mental Floss, and
this is Humans Growing Stuff collaboration from My Heart Radio
and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our goal is to
make this the most human show about plants you'll ever
listen to, and along the way, we'll share inspiring stories,
tips and tricks to nurture your plant addiction, just enough

(00:28):
science to make you sound like an expert. We are
on summer break right now. In fact, Molly and I
are on opposite sides of Lake Michigan, but we cannot
stop our plant addiction. So we're bringing you some mini
episodes to brighten up your feed and grow your plant curiosity.
Throughout the summer, we're dropping incredible stories from growers, advice
from experts, and we'll even have some fun conversations around

(00:51):
fascinating plant facts. In this bonus episode, we are going
to give you some tips and tricks for protecting your
plants in extreme weather, the hottest heat waves to the
wettest summer storms. We're going to help you create a
more resilient garden. So this summer, you've likely heard or

(01:14):
seen the news stories about extreme weather conditions happening all
across the country. In the world, it is terrifying, from
droughts to flooding to hurricane level winds up and down
the East Coast. It's clear that our climate is changing
and we really have to think about how it will
impact the plants we grow. How can we give them
the best chance at survival in a broad range of

(01:35):
weather patterns. So that's why we've done some digging to
bring you tips for extreme weather proofing your garden. Let's
get started one, give your plants some shade. Research published
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of
the United States of America found that in urban areas

(01:57):
during heat waves, the daytime temperatures were reduced, sometimes by
more than under tree coverage. So while not all plants
do great in complete shade, finding a spot in the
yard with partial shade might be that right middle ground
to give your plants the level of sun they need
without leaving them vulnerable to high temperatures. Taller partner plants
can also be useful coverage for smaller plants. But if

(02:21):
natural shade is an issue in your garden, the Farmer's
Almanac has this recommendation, It suggests covering your raised beds
with a lightweight bedsheet or burlap to give it some
cover from the sun's rays. To consider wind breaks. Aside
from the shade that trees and taller plants can provide,
they can also serve as important barriers from the wind

(02:43):
known as wind breaks when storms roll through. They can
also distribute snow away from your garden as well, and
this actually happened during the dust Bowl. The government planted
hundreds of millions of trees to protect the farms of
the Midwest from crazy winds and to stabilize the land
and preserve the soil. Even today, farmers will strategically plant
rows of wind breaks, which are perennial tall grasses or trees,

(03:07):
to not only protect their crops, but also to protect
their livestock and houses. Additionally, planning near or around slope
terrain creates natural wind breaks, and on a smaller scale,
even strategically using rocks around your plants can be helpful.
Though it is important to keep in mind that rocks
can also increase the temperature of your soil as they

(03:27):
absorb temperatures throughout the day, which is helpful for colder months.
But uh not as helpful in the thick of the summer. Three.
Slow drip irrigation. You probably already know the importance of
watering your plants early in the morning and later in
the day when the sun isn't at its peak, But
the other important watering factor is to get the water

(03:50):
as close to the roots as possible. Bob Vila dot
Com says a drip irrigation system can help achieve the
slow and deep hydration your ants need. It may even
help you lower your water bill at the same time
for mulch, mulch and mulch. When high temperatures hit, there's

(04:11):
also the concern around drought, and that's when gardeners start
worrying about the moisture content of their soil. And that's
really where mulch can help. Along with helping the plants
and soil retain the moisture, Multi combats soil erosion. Not
to mention that when rainstorms do come through, Multi protects
the soil from being compacted from heavy rainfall. Basically, mulch

(04:33):
is a gardening superhero and essential for any kind of weather. Five.
Secure your tall growers and crawlers from tomato plants to ivy.
There's some plants that just grow upward and onward, but
when heavy rains or high winds come through, these upright
growers can take a serious hit, getting bent or even breaking.

(04:56):
So to keep those plants growing in the right direction,
you can take an old t shirt and cut it
into strips and use the strips to tie your plants
to stakes, the trellis or even a growing hoop, which
will prevent breaking and keep those upwardly mobile plants growing
in the right direction. Six observe and reflect, So one

(05:17):
of the things I often forget to do is to
do a proper post mortem of my garden at the
end of the season, which can be really really helpful.
And as you grow, all you do is observe which
your plants are holding up and even thriving through the
ups and downs of the weather, and then you can
take stock of where and how you planted them. Then
at the end of the season you can reflect on

(05:38):
which plants were winners and what may have helped their growth.
I like to use that to create a plan for
the next season. You can favor the varieties that did
well and configure a layout that puts these more resilient
plants in the same or similar spots for next season.
But be sure you're thinking about those clunkers too, those
plants that did not do well. If you considered their location,

(06:01):
perhaps you can think about moving them or attempting different
planting and growing strategies for next season. In some cases,
they might not even be the right fit for your
garden because of the weather you experience your region or
the soil or environment you have. In that case, I'd
suggest just saying thank you to those plants, wishing them
luck and letting them know you're moving on. It'll be

(06:22):
better for you both. Then that's it for today's bonus episode,
but check back here again for more bonus episodes this summer,
and don't forget no matter what season it is or
where you're at in your gardening journey, there are some
incredible resources waiting for you on the Miracle Grow website.

(06:44):
Humans Growing Stuff is a collaboration from My Heart Radio
and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our show is written
and produced by Molly Sosha and Knee Mongay Fatigue there
this episode was edited and engineered by our Pale Matt Still.
Thank you so much for listening.