At the Hampton Victory Garden, there’s a surefire way to know if we’re in a drought.  Step on over to my corner of the garden.  My plot is the second soggiest because the ground slopes downward into this corner of the garden; water seeks the lowest point and it heads on down to my spot.  I’m not complaining, though, because I like a challenge.

This year, my little corner of the garden world might just be perfect because it looks like New Hampshire is currently in a drought.

A drought is defined as an extended period of months or years with deficient water supply, at either the surface or underground water level.  The major cause of a drought is below average precipitation, including snow fall.  While some people enjoyed the lack of snow this past winter, farmers like a snow-covered garden and not just because it is aesthetically pleasing.

Texas has been in a drought for a couple of years.

Do we have cause for alarm?  I think we need to wait and see at this point.  It’s never good to shake a bee hive and run or yell “fire” in a movie theater.  Dry conditions can be a good thing when it’s time to plant.  (By the way, it’s time to plant a lot of good things right now.)

It’s also a good time to talk about a water strategy and that’s why I’m calling this week “Water Week.”  We are “micro-farmers” at the Hampton Victory Garden; we’re not going to be dam building, cloud seeding, or doing salt water desalination to mitigate a potential drought.  We’re luckier than a lot of community gardens, too, because we’ve got “city water” that runs right into our plots.  However, we have had to turn the water off due to drought conditions in the past and I think this is a good week to make our drought mitigation plan.

Tuesday’s topic:  Soil preparation, drought tolerant plants, and mulching for a drought.