Sunlight is essential for pretty much every plant in your garden. However, the sheer amount of heat and sunlight that plants are exposed to during the summertime isn’t always the healthiest thing for them. There needs to be a balance for a garden to really grow and thrive. Because of this, it is worth exploring different ways to keep your garden cool and sustainable during the hotter months. Here are some tips to keep your garden flourishing in the summertime…
Be mindful of how much sun your plants get
First of all, as stated above, it is important that your plants are getting an ample amount of sunlight to get the nutrition they need through photosynthesis. However, too much sunlight is going to overheat your garden and kill your plants. For this reason, when setting up your garden, work hard to be mindful about how much sun is actually hitting your garden. You can regulate sunlight by placing your garden on a particular side of your house or building an awning or pergola that can create shade during the hottest parts of the day.
Don’t overwater
One of the biggest mistakes that people make in their gardens is the summertime is that they will water their plants more and more, thinking that the cool water will make up for the overbearing heat of the sun. However, overwatering your plants can actually be really destructive and increase the damage that is done by too much sunlight. If there is too much water in the soil, or any sitting water, then it will mess with the nutrition in the soil and cause destruction through evaporation. Instead, make sure that the soil on your plants is consistently moist. Slowly watering your plants and allowing the water to seep into the soil will save water and keep your plants well-nourished.
Use nice mulch
Above all of your plants’ soil, you should have at least a couple inches of mulch to protect the topsoil from blowing away or getting pounded by direct sunlight. For mulch, you can use a whole host of different materials, from mowed grass, to leaves, to sawdust, to wood chips, to rocks, to cardboard, cow manure, and even newspaper. Mulch helps keep your soil safe and cool, and also helps keep water from evaporating too quickly in the sunlight.