August 2021 

The best way to keep your garden during summertime

During the summer, temperatures in Portugal can rise considerably. There is a great need to care for our plants, and with the right planning, the garden can be almost self-sustainable.

Most plants don´t like the direct sun, so we should observe the solar orientation in the garden and distribute the species of flora in the best way.

In the most Northern part of the garden, you can place all the plants that are sensitive to heat. A Great plant to place in this location is an Aloe Vera plant, a very common cactus mainly found in the south of Portugal that has many therapeutic characteristics. This cactus likes shade and little water; it also prefers to be placed on the ground and avoid tall pots due to the weight of its leaves.

For the most sun-exposed part of your garden, the main and most important thing to do is to protect the soil by applying mulch. Mulch is a compound of organic residues that in addition to feeding the soil’s ecosystem, it also protects it from the direct sun rays. It is also a way of maintaining the soil’s moisture and avoiding water loss or constant watering. This is one of the best tricks to make your garden more self-sustainable.

The garden should be watered during the morning or at the end of the day and always avoid watering during the hottest hours, and this will prevent the water from evaporating rapidly and keep your plants refreshed during the day!

If the soil is very dry and compact, it can be an indicator of a lack of organic matter. In this case, you should enrich the soil and protect it as much as possible, and it’s very important to maintain a variety of compost that is compatible with keeping the soil moist and healthy.

Adding veggies to your gardens in addition to flowers and plants, we suggest choosing local and resistant ones, such as cucumber, courgettes/zucchini, basil, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and try to avoid species such spinach or lettuce that don’t deal that well with direct sun.