The Iowa Gardener: How to adapt to climate change in the garden

Gardeners in the Midwest have always known that when it comes to weather, you have to expect the unexpected. But as climate change accelerates, we’re facing new challenges and will have to be ever more resourceful and diligent in finding ways to adapt.

Fortunately, most of the basic techniques of adapting to climate change are just fundamental healthy garden practices. Climate change means that we’ll all need to be more diligent in following them if we want to continue to have attractive, healthy landscapes.

Climate change is marked by rising temperatures overall (not just each month or each year) with highly variable rainfall, and extreme weather events — like derechos — becoming more frequent. This means focusing on more resilient plants, building soil health, and minimizing the many pests and diseases that thrive in extreme weather conditions.

Here's how, with a nod to sustainable garden practices that will help the planet in larger ways as well.

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Soil Health

Resilient gardens start at the ground up. Continue to build quality soil by adding plenty of organic matter.

Compost is perhaps the ideal organic matter. Spread on the surface of beds and lawns or dig it into every planting hole.

You can purchase compost in bulk or in bags, but if you don’t already have a compost pile, start one. (I have three!) You also can work in other organic matter, like rotted leaves.

In vegetable gardens, consider planting cover crops, which add nutrients and organic matter. Or work in plenty of well-rotted autumn leaves.

Unlike just plain synthetic fertilizer, organic matter changes the soil structure and attracts beneficial earthworms, which aerate and fertilize the soil. Organic matter also encourages healthy microbial structure.

Soils rich in organic matter also have the ability to retain water better during dry spells and drain more quickly during heavy rainstorms.

Plant Selection

Now is the time to stop fussing with plants that limp along and require lots of water and fertilizer. Hybrid tea roses and patches of struggling lawn, I’m looking at you.

Replace those hybrid tea roses with any of the new low-maintenance roses, which are also more pest-resistant. And if lawn is struggling, consider one of the beautiful ground covers that are readily available. You’ll still need to keep them weeded, but they are less affected by drought and wet, fungus-inducing conditions.

When it comes to trees, shrubs and perennials, native plants, or their hybridized cousins are always a good bet for both sun and shade. They naturally resist Iowa climate extremes and the pests and diseases that result from them. Bonus: They help our struggling pollinator and bird populations.

Some people don’t like native plants because they think they look messy and unkept but hybrids have a more manicured look.

For inspiration, check out Iowa State University Horticulture Extension’s many online native plant lists.

Mulch

When there’s a heavy rain, mulch prevents soil erosion and holds moisture longer so it has a chance to sink more deeply into the soil. In times of drought, it conserves moisture around plants. It keeps plants healthier by preventing soil and soil pathogens from splashing on the plants. It prevents weeds — which also tend to thrive during weather extremes and which rob desirable plants of moisture and nutrients — saving you work.

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Watering Smart

Most Iowa landscape plants, including lawn, do best with about 1 inch of water a week. For decades, most Iowa springs, summers, and falls delivered just that. But that’s changing. Knowledge is power so monitor and apply water with care.

If you don’t already have a rain gauge, get one. It will tell you precisely how much moisture you’re getting and give you a good idea on how much more you need to apply.

If you are using a sprinkler, set out a small dish to precisely measure how much water you are applying to an area.

And always water in the early morning or late evening to prevent evaporation from sprinklers of as much as 50 percent. Purchase a timer that screws into your outdoor faucet so you can turn on sprinklers even at 4 a.m.

More and more, we’re seeing the impact of climate change on our landscapes and our lives. It’s projected to continue to become more severe, so little changes now can pay off with big dividends for years to come.

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Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of the Iowa Gardener website at www.theiowagardener.com.