For those who lost gardens in the drought

The drought in Kansas was awful last year,but hubby and i watered our garden every other day(we live in town),so it cost abit to water....
We lost somethings but our tomatoes,squash,peppers and okra were still going strong in late October.. The only thing we did different last year was put hay around all our plants.. well and prayed alot for rain... We are going to put the hay down again this year because we are still high and dry.. We did get a small amout of rain earlier today.

I'm not sure if your post is intended to be as condescending as it sounds or if you simply don't understand the difference between arid climate and serious drought.

I've lived through a very severe drought and my garden didn't die because I wasn't prepared enough to buy hoses. In cases of drought as severe as what we've had in the past, wells went dry, those that didn't were darned close and when your water supply is limited, livestock and household use takes precedent over gardens. I can't speak for others but when we went through a 2 year drought, there was no rain water at all to catch.

When droughts occur, lakes and rivers tend to get quite shallow or dry up completely and many and folks on public water are placed under water bans and those caught watering yards or gardens face heavy fines.

We are on a rural water system. I cant afford a well of my own even tho that would be the best scenario for us.

I spent about $100 a month on water above and beyond our normal household usage on the garden last year. After 2 months, the produce coming in didnt match the money going out.

Pretty simple math as far as I can tell. But we did get a lot out of the garden before I let it go.

__________________
" Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

Any suggestions on what to grow from you desert gardeners?

I just moved to the desert and I'm afraid that a lot of the seeds I have won't work. I've been battling heat, humidity and fire ants over on the other end of the state all my life.

__________________
www.easttxbees.com
www.facebook.com/easttxbees

this sounds like what i have been reading called hugelculture. i am thinking of trying this and some raised beds in the shade as all my raised beds etc have been lost due to wildfire and dozing/rebuilding

water and heat was not the only limiting factor. we have had grasshoppers galore. too bad choc. covered grasshoppers are not liked here.

I thought that keyhole gardening sounded good for dry areas. I'm thinking of doing a bed like that to try it as, although it far too wet here for half the year, for the other half it doesn't rain at all.
Although it's called keyhole because of the shape of the bed, it's sort of hugelkulter idea because the base of the bed has sticks and other wood. Then the compost bin built into the keyhole is another source of moisture.

__________________
For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

Oh my gosh, I just now came back to this thread I started and I was so taken aback that anyone would think I was being condescending. I did NOT mean it that way at all. I have learned a bit more about drought and what you folks have gone thru by reading your responses.

I live in an arid climate. I have heard over and over that we are in a drought ourselves. For years apparently. I did NOT understand that many of you had your well dry up (this is our first well, and no I did not know they just "dried up").

I want anyone else here to know I was truly curious as to your experiences. I have felt so badly for you hearing about your losses.

I would leave this forum forever if I thought any of my posts were upsetting people.

Homesteader, I grew up in a dry area, and I used to think that folks in well watered areas had it easy.

Nope.

People choose varieties and planting times for the USUAL weather! And, when the weather is UNUSUAL, those varieties simply do badly!

As for giving offense, well, it is harder to be understood if a person cannot hear tone of voice or body language. So folks guess, and sometimes people guess wrong. Sometimes offense is inevitable, no matter how pure our intentions are!!!!!!!

Yes, that's what happened with us also..temperatures at 113+ and the plants just wilt no matter what.

i even lost some chickens and i had two misters going to keep them cool...but yet some didn't make it.

This thread reminds me of a story I heard about an American woman who rented a house in England.

She was dismayed to find no outside faucett on the house so she called the landlord and asked how she was supposed to water the garden. He answered, "Madam, this is England, it rains."

__________________
I saw something nasty in the woodshed

I didn't take your comment as being condescending, just misinformed about conditions in other parts of the country. We have 2 wells on our farm and raise veggies to take to a local farmers mkt. The drought we are in currently has actually lowered the water table by 10 or more feet. Thus our wells of 80 ft deep that used to have about 20 foot of water in them, now have 10 ft and are not as endless as we once thought. The choice is whether to water the garden or conserve the water for livestock and household use. The cost of drilling new and deeper wells is conciderable, thus the veggie garden which is suffering from the heat also, is concidered low priority on the water rationing.

__________________
* I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one. .*-