Store water in the garden soil: use it in autumn and winter

Created: 10/11/2022, 2:30 p.m

By: Anna Katharina Kusters

The summer has added to the garden soil with dry periods.

Autumn rain and snow can be cleverly caught to prepare for the summer.

The hot days are over, but even in autumn, gardeners still clearly notice that the plants suffered last summer.

The periods without rain were too long, the sun too strong, which instead shone down on the well-tended greenery.

Garden fans should use the wet autumn and winter to better prepare their garden for next year's summer.

Store water in the garden soil: use it in autumn and winter

Collecting rainwater in autumn is worthwhile.

(Iconic image) © Péter Gudella/Imago

It's finally raining again.

Many plants desperately need the raindrops in autumn and winter, as the summer of 2022 was significantly hotter and drier than previous summers.

Extreme weather is likely to continue to be a part of the gardening year in the future, so gardeners should think about how to support their plants.

The rather wet months donate valuable rainwater, which, with the right support, can make the dry and hard garden soil more fertile and robust again.

Storing water in the garden soil: The 4 most important tips

That's why it's worth taking a closer look at a few spots in the garden.

With the following tips, gardeners use the autumn rain for themselves and their garden soil:

• 1. Infiltration hollows: Anyone who digs a few small hollows in their garden allows rainwater to collect there.

  It can also seep deep into hard and dry garden soil in these places.

  Plants with longer roots are thus able to find water in deeper layers of the earth even in drier times.

• 2. Mulching: Mulching helps in almost all garden situations.

  In this case, mulching ensures that the rainwater can seep in faster and does not evaporate as quickly.

  A layer of bark mulch or old lawn clippings is therefore particularly effective on beds.

• 3. Hoeing: Excessive digging in the garden is controversial.

  Careful hoeing, however, will help the soil prevent excessive evaporation.

  According to Südwest-Rundfunk, gardeners interrupt the capillaries in the soil and the water does not evaporate as quickly.

• 4. Rainwater collector: Rainwater does not have to flow unused into the sewage system from the gutters.

  With a so-called rainwater collector, you can easily divert the water into a rain barrel or directly into the bed.

  If it rains too heavily, the device automatically directs the water masses into the sewage system.

  So there is no waterlogging.

A rain collector directs the water directly into the bed.

(Iconic image) © Wilfried Breisacher/Imago

A few tricks will help to prepare the garden soil a little better for the coming summer.

Because rainwater does not have to flow away unused, but can help the garden to recharge properly in autumn and winter.