Drought on the Farm

            Currently, the we are facing a major drought on our farm. We can’t irrigate our farm because we don’t have access to enough water (and can’t buy into the town water for another few years). We haven’t had rain in weeks, and although it was supposed to rain both yesterday and today, it didn’t. The first plants to go were lettuces, but now we’re losing our cucumbers and summer squash. Unfortuantely we’re afraid many of our fall brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, etc.) might be next.

            What are we doing on our farm in a drought?

This is a question we’re asking ourselves about a hundred times a day right now. We’re focusing on harvesting as much as we can from the plants that are still alive (especially the ones that might not be for long). We’re not weeding often because we want to leave shade cover and we don’t want to disturb any remaining soil moisture. We’re selling a lot of our garlic and onions early (before they fully dry) because we need to have consistent product to sell.

            What can you do to help your crops during drought?

    The best way to deal with drought is to prevent it from being a problem. If you can, irrigation is a great solution for this. When we have access to water, we use drip tape because it delivers water directly to the roots of plants, thus cutting down on waste involved in many irrigation systems (read more from The Water Efficient Garden here). Another advantage of drip tape is that you can turn it on or off in different crop areas depending on what needs water. 

If you’re watering your plants, you should water in the early morning so that the water doesn’t evaporate before the soil and plants can absorb it.

            When you’re planning your garden, you can also choose to use drought resistant plants and varieties which will hopefully do better during a drought (see a list from The Spruce here ).

            The best way to help your crops during drought is to take an agroecological prospective and build soil moisture. This means to use ecological (natural system based) practices that keep water held in the soil. If you think about a forest, the soil is often damp even when it hasn’t rained. When you contrast that with the image of a dry, dusty field, it’s obvious that nature knows something that we don’t.

Notice the differences between the forest and the field: the forest has many layers of luscious green plants while the field has predominantly one type of plant, and you can see the layers of mulch and tree litter protecting the forest floor.

            How can you build that soil moisture on your farm?

            The best way to build soil moisture is to use compost. Adding compost to your soil increases organic matter (material from broken down plants) which is what holds onto water in your soil. Thus, the higher levels of organic matter in your soil, the more water will be available to the plant roots (and plants absorb water through their roots!). Another great way to keep water in your soil is to use mulch. Leaves or grass clippings (check that they are from an organically managed lawn because some lawn pesticides can harm farm plants) are a great, often cheap mulch. You can also use hay or straw, or even newspaper (but you should wet newspaper to hold it down so it doesn’t all blow away).        

What happens to plants during drought?

            Plants need water to survive. They absorb water through their roots and it travels up their stem. Like in humans, water carries nutrients throughout the plants. Water is most crucial, though, because of its role in photosynthesis. Plants photosynthesize to make sugar for energy. When plants photosynthesize, they release water through their leaves in a process called transpiration. Transpiration is what happens when plants open tiny holes in their leaves (called stomates) which allow gases to pass through. In order for photosynthesis, to happen, plants must take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. During that process of having the stomates open, water also evaporates from the plants. In order to keep enough water in the plant for the plant to survive and keep its structure and maintain temperature stability, it must be able to absorb water from the roots. If you want to learn more about drought stress on plants, read this article from Biology Reader.

 

 

The plants on the right have been watered, the grass on the left hasn't. Notice how it loses it's shape and color when it doesn't have enough water.

            Basically, for plants to keep their structure and to keep making sugars and supplying oxygen, they need water. During a drought, they can close the stomates so they are no longer losing water to the atmosphere, but this stops them from photosynthesizing, so they can’t make sugars anymore for energy. Essentially, when they have to close the stomates so they don’t get dehydrated, they starve because they can’t make food!

    I hope this gives you more of an understanding of drought and how you can prepare. How do you deal with drought on your farm/garden? Any other ideas/tips?