Speaker 1: Hey there, I'm Mungas Particular, a co host of Part
Speaker 1: Time Genius, one of the founders of Mental Floss, and
Speaker 1: this is Humans Growing Stuff collaboration from My Heart Radio
Speaker 1: and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our goal is to
Speaker 1: make this the most human show about plants you'll ever
Speaker 1: listen to, and along the way, we'll share inspiring stories,
Speaker 1: tips and tricks to nurture your plant addiction, just enough
Speaker 1: science to make you sound like an expert. We are
Speaker 1: on summer break right now. In fact, Molly and I
Speaker 1: are on opposite sides of Lake Michigan, but we cannot
Speaker 1: stop our plant addiction. So we're bringing you some mini
Speaker 1: episodes to brighten up your feed and grow your plant curiosity.
Speaker 1: Throughout the summer, we're dropping incredible stories from growers, advice
Speaker 1: from experts, and we'll even have some fun conversations around
Speaker 1: fascinating plant facts. In this bonus episode, we are going
Speaker 1: to give you some tips and tricks for protecting your
Speaker 1: plants in extreme weather, the hottest heat waves to the
Speaker 1: wettest summer storms. We're going to help you create a
Speaker 1: more resilient garden. So this summer, you've likely heard or
Speaker 1: seen the news stories about extreme weather conditions happening all
Speaker 1: across the country. In the world, it is terrifying, from
Speaker 1: droughts to flooding to hurricane level winds up and down
Speaker 1: the East Coast. It's clear that our climate is changing
Speaker 1: and we really have to think about how it will
Speaker 1: impact the plants we grow. How can we give them
Speaker 1: the best chance at survival in a broad range of
Speaker 1: weather patterns. So that's why we've done some digging to
Speaker 1: bring you tips for extreme weather proofing your garden. Let's
Speaker 1: get started one, give your plants some shade. Research published
Speaker 1: in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of
Speaker 1: the United States of America found that in urban areas
Speaker 1: during heat waves, the daytime temperatures were reduced, sometimes by
Speaker 1: more than under tree coverage. So while not all plants
Speaker 1: do great in complete shade, finding a spot in the
Speaker 1: yard with partial shade might be that right middle ground
Speaker 1: to give your plants the level of sun they need
Speaker 1: without leaving them vulnerable to high temperatures. Taller partner plants
Speaker 1: can also be useful coverage for smaller plants. But if
Speaker 1: natural shade is an issue in your garden, the Farmer's
Speaker 1: Almanac has this recommendation, It suggests covering your raised beds
Speaker 1: with a lightweight bedsheet or burlap to give it some
Speaker 1: cover from the sun's rays. To consider wind breaks. Aside
Speaker 1: from the shade that trees and taller plants can provide,
Speaker 1: they can also serve as important barriers from the wind
Speaker 1: known as wind breaks when storms roll through. They can
Speaker 1: also distribute snow away from your garden as well, and
Speaker 1: this actually happened during the dust Bowl. The government planted
Speaker 1: hundreds of millions of trees to protect the farms of
Speaker 1: the Midwest from crazy winds and to stabilize the land
Speaker 1: and preserve the soil. Even today, farmers will strategically plant
Speaker 1: rows of wind breaks, which are perennial tall grasses or trees,
Speaker 1: to not only protect their crops, but also to protect
Speaker 1: their livestock and houses. Additionally, planning near or around slope
Speaker 1: terrain creates natural wind breaks, and on a smaller scale,
Speaker 1: even strategically using rocks around your plants can be helpful.
Speaker 1: Though it is important to keep in mind that rocks
Speaker 1: can also increase the temperature of your soil as they
Speaker 1: absorb temperatures throughout the day, which is helpful for colder months.
Speaker 1: But uh not as helpful in the thick of the summer. Three.
Speaker 1: Slow drip irrigation. You probably already know the importance of
Speaker 1: watering your plants early in the morning and later in
Speaker 1: the day when the sun isn't at its peak, But
Speaker 1: the other important watering factor is to get the water
Speaker 1: as close to the roots as possible. Bob Vila dot
Speaker 1: Com says a drip irrigation system can help achieve the
Speaker 1: slow and deep hydration your ants need. It may even
Speaker 1: help you lower your water bill at the same time
Speaker 1: for mulch, mulch and mulch. When high temperatures hit, there's
Speaker 1: also the concern around drought, and that's when gardeners start
Speaker 1: worrying about the moisture content of their soil. And that's
Speaker 1: really where mulch can help. Along with helping the plants
Speaker 1: and soil retain the moisture, Multi combats soil erosion. Not
Speaker 1: to mention that when rainstorms do come through, Multi protects
Speaker 1: the soil from being compacted from heavy rainfall. Basically, mulch
Speaker 1: is a gardening superhero and essential for any kind of weather. Five.
Speaker 1: Secure your tall growers and crawlers from tomato plants to ivy.
Speaker 1: There's some plants that just grow upward and onward, but
Speaker 1: when heavy rains or high winds come through, these upright
Speaker 1: growers can take a serious hit, getting bent or even breaking.
Speaker 1: So to keep those plants growing in the right direction,
Speaker 1: you can take an old t shirt and cut it
Speaker 1: into strips and use the strips to tie your plants
Speaker 1: to stakes, the trellis or even a growing hoop, which
Speaker 1: will prevent breaking and keep those upwardly mobile plants growing
Speaker 1: in the right direction. Six observe and reflect, So one
Speaker 1: of the things I often forget to do is to
Speaker 1: do a proper post mortem of my garden at the
Speaker 1: end of the season, which can be really really helpful.
Speaker 1: And as you grow, all you do is observe which
Speaker 1: your plants are holding up and even thriving through the
Speaker 1: ups and downs of the weather, and then you can
Speaker 1: take stock of where and how you planted them. Then
Speaker 1: at the end of the season you can reflect on
Speaker 1: which plants were winners and what may have helped their growth.
Speaker 1: I like to use that to create a plan for
Speaker 1: the next season. You can favor the varieties that did
Speaker 1: well and configure a layout that puts these more resilient
Speaker 1: plants in the same or similar spots for next season.
Speaker 1: But be sure you're thinking about those clunkers too, those
Speaker 1: plants that did not do well. If you considered their location,
Speaker 1: perhaps you can think about moving them or attempting different
Speaker 1: planting and growing strategies for next season. In some cases,
Speaker 1: they might not even be the right fit for your
Speaker 1: garden because of the weather you experience your region or
Speaker 1: the soil or environment you have. In that case, I'd
Speaker 1: suggest just saying thank you to those plants, wishing them
Speaker 1: luck and letting them know you're moving on. It'll be
Speaker 1: better for you both. Then that's it for today's bonus episode,
Speaker 1: but check back here again for more bonus episodes this summer,
Speaker 1: and don't forget no matter what season it is or
Speaker 1: where you're at in your gardening journey, there are some
Speaker 1: incredible resources waiting for you on the Miracle Grow website.
Speaker 1: Humans Growing Stuff is a collaboration from My Heart Radio
Speaker 1: and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our show is written
Speaker 1: and produced by Molly Sosha and Knee Mongay Fatigue there
Speaker 1: this episode was edited and engineered by our Pale Matt Still.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening.