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Fill your garden with these fresh veggies that still thrive even in drier climates.
By
Carissa Chesanek
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Carissa Chesanek
Carissa Chesanek is a food, spirits, and lifestyle writer with more than 13 years of experience in the industry. She loves researching new trends, chatting with chefs, mixologists, and home experts about their craft, and creating well-researched, fun copy for her readers.
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Published on April 30, 2024
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There is nothing better than fresh veggies from the garden, but having your own garden can require a bit of maintenance keep it up, especially when the plants have different care needs. And especially if you live in a dry climate, certain kinds of produce can be difficult to keep alive.But there is hope! These garden expert-recommended vegetables can still grow even without much water, making them easier to care for.
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Zucchini
While zucchini needs consistent watering at first, once it's planted, you don’t have to worry too much. Thanks to their deep root systems, these plants will grow with the moisture that has been locked in from the very beginning, says Sara Abbass, owner of Sara Mairead Landscape Design.
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Pole Beans
Many types of beans are drought tolerant crops, and that includes pole beans, according to the University of California. Abbass agrees and explains that pole beans are “super easy to add to your garden” because they have deeper roots “that can reach down further for deep moisture.”
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Kale
While you don't have to water kale very often, when you do, it needs to penetrate the soil fairly deeply. Kale needs about an inch or two of water per week, whether it's from rain or watering you do yourself. It's also important to make sure you water the plant consistently to ensure what you harvest tastes good.
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Swiss Chard
Since Swiss chard is a hearty plant that is tolerant of various conditions. Abbass says Swiss chard “can take some serious heat and thrives with consistent harvesting.”
To make watering easier for any produce, including Swiss chard, consider grouping your vegetables together according to their water needs when you plant them.
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Roma Tomatoes
Roma tomatoes are “fabulous tomatoes for drought conditions” and are easily adaptable, says Abbass. This type of tomato is especially great for canning and making sauces once they're ripe and ready to eat towards the end of summer.
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Eggplant
Abbass says you can have a "fairly amazing yield" when you choose the right eggplant variety that can withstand dry conditions. Eggplants thrive in warm conditions, however, this drought-resistant plant needs at least an inch of rain weekly. And if rain is rare in your area, you will need to thoroughly soak the soil yourself at least once per week.
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Hot Peppers
"Bell peppers are adaptable in tough conditions,” says Abbass, “but hot or chili peppers really are fabulous plants for dryer conditions.”These plants are harvested in the fall, which means “they make it through fairly tough conditions” beforehand, and continue to thrive. Just make sure to water them regularly within the first month or two of growing, or buy a more established plant at your local plant store or farmer's market.
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Okra
Okra is a warm-weather crop known for withstanding dry conditions, but you may want to water it more during especially prolonged heat. A deep soaking every week to week and a half should suffice. As with any vegetable you're growing, controlling weeds is important, so the plant isn't sharing water and soil nutrients with invading weeds.
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Sources
Real Simple is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy.
Resources U of C Division of Agriculture and Natural. Grow & care sheets. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/EDIBLES/EDIBLES_GROW_SHEETS/
Pokorny K. Some vegetables require less water than others. Extension Communications. Published April 22, 2011. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/some-vegetables-require-less-water-others
Growing eggplant in home gardens. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-eggplant
Home garden okra. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C941&title=home-garden-okra
