How to protect your garden from extreme weather

A long, hot summer is forecast which can put stress on your garden plants. Photo / Getty Images.

Planning for four seasons in a day? Here’s how to prepare your garden for unpredictable weather this summer.

Heading into the summer months, we know from the past three years of extreme weather conditions that we must expect the unexpected.

As a gardener, it is always better to be prepared than to despair when the unpredictable weather conditions threaten to wipe out all our hard work and destroy the summer crops we so lovingly nurtured.

Experts are predicting a long, hot, dry summer and we could even see heat extremes.

So how best to protect our plants for the summer to come? Here are my top tips to get your gardens ready to weather four seasons in a day!

Quality soil is king

One of the most significant ways you can create resilience is to focus on building top-quality soil. This enables root systems to be in optimal health and condition. If you are growing in pots, make sure they are topped up with new food before summer. Add a thick layer of reflective mulch on top of the soil to prevent your plants from baking in the heat or drowning in the rain.

Support plant stress with tonics

Make sure you have a restorative tonic on hand in the shed to apply to plants that could be affected by strong damaging winds. I recommend worm juice, comfrey, seaweed or effective micro-organisms as excellent tonics that truly make a difference. Liquid is best, because the absorption is immediate. I use these if my plants have been damaged by the wind, putting a small amount in a watering can and feeding over a couple of days.

Provide your plants with adequate growing support from the start

Have supportive frames for your heavy, far-reaching plants, like tomatoes, runner beans, cucumbers, melons and even zucchini. They all benefit from being tied to a frame to take the pressure off the root systems. When tying up use soft stretchy string or even an old T-shirt torn into strips to allow slight movement and avoid strangling or damaging the plant.

Protect the soil with a thick layer of quality mulch

Mulching your garden can protect plants in weather extremes, working to retain the soil’s moisture during hot sunny days, but also preventing splashback of soil in heavy periods of rain. Soil splashback can destroy your soil structure and also cause disease.

Create a wind barrier where your garden is exposed

Surround your garden wind cloth, protecting from strong, damaging winds, and creating a beneficial microclimate for your plants. Alternatively, use a micro mesh which has the extra benefit of keeping pests out of the garden. For success with micro mesh, make it high enough to protect your growing plants at their highest point, make sure you have easy access and secure the netting well.

These precautions can make all the difference to “weathering the storm”. You may be able to further offset costs by using free resources or reclaimed materials.

A lot of vineyards give away netting with a few holes. This can easily be cut to size or sewn up. Share the cost with a neighbour or look online for netting suppliers, who often have ends of rolls for fraction of the normal cost.

Collect free mulch in autumn and save for the summer to come.

Make cost-effective stakes for the garden by cutting wild bamboo or using sturdy sticks from your prunings. You could collect sticks at a park or woodland - odd shapes bring character to a garden.

Many gardening groups or gardeners give things away for free. Keep your eyes peeled and put your feelers out there… being prepared is key.

For more gardening advice, visit growinspired.co.nz and discover Claire Mummery’s online gardening course at www.growinspiredacademy.com