From Tomatoes to Melons: Growing Veggies with Less Water

By Debbie Arrington
Guest Writer

Can you grow veggies and save water, too? Yes! In fact, several summer favorites do surprisingly well with restricted water – especially beans, melons, hard squash, and other vegetables native to the Southwest. Even tomatoes can thrive on a water diet.

See examples at the Placer County master gardeners’ Loomis Library Demonstration Garden as well as its Sacramento County counterpart, the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.

“Master Gardeners throughout California did a lot of research on this, especially during the drought of 10 years ago,” says podcaster Farmer Fred Hoffman, the former Sacramento radio host and a lifetime Sacramento County master gardener. (Listen to his podcast at https://gardenbasics.net/. ) “Their criteria: Seed catalogs that used the terms ‘drought resistant’ or ‘drought tolerant’ in the variety descriptions.”

According to the master gardeners, vegetables that are more drought tolerant include chard, most beans (especially garbanzo, tepary, butter, lima and bush varieties),

black-eyed peas or cowpeas, heat-tolerant tomatoes (including many cherry varieties), okra, mustard greens, eggplant, jalapeno and poblano peppers, Black Knight zucchini, and New Zealand and Malabar spinach.

Also recommended are plants with deep roots, such as sweet potatoes, melons, and asparagus; they can tolerate longer periods without irrigation. Among the melon varieties recommended for hot, dry summers are Missouri Gold; Top Mark; Sweet Passion; Kansas; Edisto 47; Crimson Sweet watermelon; and Strawberry watermelon.

“In personal experience, there are some varieties of summer garden staples – tomatoes and zucchini – that, with a bit of protection from late afternoon sun and heat, can survive and thrive with less water,” Hoffman adds. “Dark Star zucchini, according to research done at Oregon State University, can get by with less water. And it works here in the hot Central Valley as well.”

Besides cherry tomatoes, heat-tolerant tomato varieties are low-water stars, including Cherokee Purple; Mortgage Lifter; Legend; San Marzano; Arkansas Traveler; Red Star; Tropic; Ozark Pink; Valencia; and Neptune.

In fact, most tomatoes will do OK with restricted water. Mature tomato plants need about 1 gallon a day; that comes out to just under 1 inch of irrigation a week. Don’t water every day; instead, split their water ration into two or three irrigations a week. That encourages deep roots.

Like other summer veggies, tomatoes benefit from a double layer of mulch, which helps soil maintain its moisture longer. Spread newspaper six to eight pages thick around the tomato plants. Then, cover the newspaper with two inches of organic mulch (such as compost, dried leaves, or shredded bark).

If trying to decide between two varieties, look at their leaves. Vegetable plants with smaller leaves tend to lose less moisture due to transpiration. Veggies with big floppy leaves will suffer more in drought conditions.

Several herbs love hot, dry summers. Hoffman recommends basil (especially the smaller-leafed varieties such as Mrs. Burns Lemon), rosemary, oregano, sage, and thyme. “Plant them in early April or mid-fall to allow them to get established and grow a vigorous root structure,” he says.

Hoffman offers this advice for growing veggies with less water: “Plant where there’s late afternoon shade, use drip irrigation, and cover the soil with several inches of mulch.”

And take advantage of technology, Hoffman adds. “I purchased a Rainpoint soil moisture reader that communicates via Bluetooth or WiFi to its companion device in the house. It lets me know when the moisture level is dry, OK, or wet. I let that be my guide.”

Another high-tech approach to making the most of moisture, soil-less hydroponic plant towers allow for growing more plants in a lot less space with less water, too; nutrient-spiked water is recirculated inside the structure. (They’re great for strawberries and greens.) But initial set-up can be expensive, and the tower’s pump needs a constant power supply.

Rebates for drip irrigation conversions and other water-efficient upgrades are available from several local water providers. Find them at BeWaterSmart.info/rebates.

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Debbie Arrington is a longtime home and garden reporter and co-author of the blog Sacramento Digs Gardening: https://sacdigsgardening.californialocal.com/