10 ways to care for your home garden in hot weather

If you have a house in Mérida, or live in a city where high temperatures are daily bread, and you plan to have a garden — or worse still, you already have one — there are several tricks you can use to keep your plants fresh and even reduce their water use.

Tips for keeping a garden in high temperatures

1. Set up windbreaks

Wind can not only damage plants but also make soil moisture evaporate.

The solution is to place or grow windbreaks in your garden. Windbreaks don’t need to be solid and stop all the wind. They can be made from plant hedges.

To make them, consider tall species and shorter perennials that won’t cast too much shade on your garden, such as berry bushes or fruit trees.

Don’t forget to place them perpendicular to the wind direction.

2. Invest in shade cloth

If you’re thinking of having a small vegetable patch in your garden, it’s a good idea to invest in shade cloth, since it can be super useful for keeping some plants fresh, such as peas and spinach.

Invest in an irrigation system.

It can also be used with seeds like lettuce, which prefer cool soil to germinate.

3. Use plenty of mulch

Mulch is one of the easiest ways to keep soil temperatures cooler and moisture levels high.

It’s certainly a great option if you’re going to live in Mérida and are wondering how to care for a garden in its peculiar, blazing climate.

4. Water your garden constantly

Obviously, because of the climate you’ll have to work hard to keep the soil moist.

If you need to cover a large area, invest in an efficient irrigation system. Don’t forget to water early in the morning or at the very end of the day.

5. Benefit from climbing plants

Did you know that placing climbing plants beneath taller plants helps you make the most of your space and keep the soil cool? Climbing plants like bougainvillea have many advantages: they’ll shade the soil, block weeds and retain moisture once they’ve spread enough.

6. Build a trellis or invest in a pergola

Build a trellis or add a pergola for climbing plants. These trellises are usually built at an angle. That way they provide maximum shade. For a garden, they’re also a very attractive ornamental feature.

7. Transplant plants at the right times

If you’re transplanting plants in your garden, it’s best to avoid the heat and sun as much as possible, for your sake and the plant’s! Do it early in the morning, late at night or on a cloudy day, and you’ll get better results.

8. Choose local species

We recommend: create a zen garden in your home.

If you live in Mérida, plant species that can withstand the heat and that are native. That way they’ll keep better and won’t need too much maintenance.

9. Manage soil and crops well

Whenever you work in the garden, you should think about how to keep its soil and plants healthy. Doing maintenance and regularly applying compost will keep soil and plants in good condition. It’s a fact: well-fed, disease-free plants tolerate climate stress much better.

10. Save, reuse and collect rainwater

Saving water is essential. Don’t waste this resource, and collect rainwater to water your garden or meet other needs.

Gardening is never easy, but hot weather can be especially tricky for your plants. So if you’re going to move to Mérida, Yucatán, remember to put these tips into practice for a healthy, productive garden even in warm climates.

Read: Are solar panels a solution for saving money? 5 benefits of solar energy in your home.