Malabar spinach, Basella alba, twines its way up a 7-foot trellis in the Vegetable Garden. Adjacent to our historic Farmhouse, this garden is a visitor favorite. Heirloom crops featured here remind us of the region’s agricultural roots, while vegetable varieties originating around the world celebrate the ways food and gardening bring people together. 

Malabar spinach twines its way up a 7-foot trellis in the Vegetable Garden.

The Vegetable Garden’s design and the specific crops grown here change annually. Each year, Dawn Davies, New England Botanic Garden’s Formal Gardens Manager, lays out a plan for the 12,000 square foot space with the hope of educating, inspiring, and of course, producing lots of fresh, healthy produce. That’s because much of what’s harvested is donated to the South Worcester Neighborhood Center to support local individuals and families facing food insecurity. This year, the Malabar spinach, though not grown in quantity, acts as a special highlight.  

Native to Asia and Africa, Malabar spinach has deep purple, vining stems, glossy green heart-shaped leaves, and pinkish-white flowers that cluster on stems like tiny bunches of grapes. It’s such a beauty of a plant you’d be forgiven if you thought it was purely ornamental. Like other leafy greens, this interesting edible packs a nutritious punch when eaten fresh or cooked in stews or stir fries. But after enduring this summer’s grueling weather — below average precipitation paired with above average temperatures — what seems most special about the Malabar spinach in the Vegetable Garden is its ability to withstand extremes. 

The Central Massachusetts region has been in a Stage 3 Critical Drought since August 9, 2022. The state’s drought status levels range from zero to four. At the Garden, we’re fortunate that we can keep to our water regimen in order to maintain our plant collection. Still, we can see the damage inflicted by months of minimal rainfall.  

Recently, Dawn, who’s been with the Garden for over 20 years, spoke to local news anchor Cam Jandrow about what we’re noticing in the Vegetable Garden and beyond. Significantly low water levels in the Wildlife Refuge Pond. Summer blooms withering quickly. Trees along the woodland edges are showing autumn colors early. In the Vegetable Garden, high heat means some crops haven’t been as productive as they have been in the past. Weather extremes like drought and heat waves are realities we are bound to face as a result of human-induced climate change.  

While Dawn says that no drought year in memory feels quite like this one, there are things gardeners can do to help build resiliency into their home gardens. Here are a few of our favorites.

Six Strategies to Improve Drought Resilience in Your Vegetable Garden 

  1. Plant Water-Wise Ground Covers — Not all plants have the same water needs. Catmint, Nepeta racemosa, is one of those that happily requires less. This low-growing perennial, a favorite of pollinators, spreads out to blanket soil, helping it hold onto moisture. Bare soil loses moisture to the air. At the Garden, you can find catmint throughout several of the garden spaces. In the Vegetable Garden, our “water-wise” green ground covers include a variety of herbs as well as wild strawberries.
  2. Experiment with Heat-Hardy Vegetables — Vegetables that originate in warmer climates are better adapted to handle heat. Malabar spinach, for example, has succulent-like leaves that help it retain moisture. A few other plants that can handle the heat include eggplant, peppers, okra, and amaranth. 
  3. Use Intercropping Techniques — Planting different vegetables together in the same bed maximizes a garden’s usable space. It’s another strategy to help keep the ground covered. In the Vegetable Garden, each bed supports multiple different plants that grow at different levels. For example, Malabar spinach shares a bed with bell peppers, kale, and parsley, plants so full by late August they completely obscure any sign of the soil bed beneath them.    
  4. Water Early in the Day —Some of our gardens have complex irrigation systems help deliver water to our plants as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Still, we water many beds by hand. Home gardeners watering without irrigation should do so early in the morning when temperatures are lower and there’s less chance of evaporation. It’s better to water thoroughly a couple times a week, than to water frequently with lighter applications of water that don’t actually get moisture to the root zones of the plants. 
  5. Add Compost — Adding organic matter to your garden beds contributes to healthier soil biology and this too helps soil to hold onto moisture. You can add compost in the fall in anticipation of the next growing season and in the spring.
  6. Plan a Varied Garden — Though summer is winding down and the next planting season may seem ages away, now is a great time to take stock of what did well in your garden and what didn’t. In the Vegetable Garden, Dawn assesses beds for soil health, sows cover crops, and plans crop rotations. When you look ahead to next year, keep in mind that a more varied garden is a more resilient garden.

 

—Liz Nye, New England Botanic Garden, August 2022