To Hot to Garden? Plant a Cover Crop Instead!

Repeat after me. You don't have to garden when it's hot!... But don't let the soil dry out. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Instead of planting other crops, I’ve been planting cover crops in many of my beds. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣It may be tempting to leave the ground bare and return when temperatures decline in the fall. However, doing this can have a detrimental effect on your soil. Bare soil will dry out, heat up, and become compacted, and the life in the soil will suffer. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣At the very least, cover your soil with a thick 3-5 inch (7-12 cm) layer of mulch and water enough to keep the soil from drying out over the summer. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣If you don’t want to garden and want a mostly “hands-off garden” during the hottest months of the year, plant a cover crop instead.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣Count back from your desired fall planting date to see if there is enough time for the crop to germinate, grow, and die back.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣Learn more in my latest blog post. ⁣⁣⁣https://growinginthegarden.com/take-the-summer-off-plant-heat-tolerant-cover-crops-instead/
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#covercrops #hotsummergardentip #desertgarden #arizonagarden ⁣⁣⁣

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