A Drought-Tolerant Garden Plan and Layout

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Sunflowers Sky High!
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Rachel

Successfully gardening in a dry, hot climate

Rachel from Goodwell, Oklahoma and Catherine Boeckmann
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If you live in a dry place or deal with drought, this garden plan will inspire you! Rachel and her husband used row and container gardening, drip irrigation, and drought-resistant plants. We love the mix of vegetables and flowers.

After you read their story, check out the Almanac Garden Planner for yourself and design the best layout for your vegetable garden!

Rachel’s Garden Story

My husband and I live in Goodwell, Oklahoma, which receives an average of only 17 inches of rain annually.

With our climate, we put a lot of effort into planning and maintaining our garden: We use drip hoses to conserve water; we create strong, drought-resistant plants; and we keep the garden small for easier maintenance. We also practice companion planting to nurture plant health. 

This garden is for the two of us. Some containers are used where we cannot plant in the ground. We fenced the southwest corner and the west side with a wicker fence. And we have a small hoop house on the north side (which makes a great windbreak).

A plague of squash bugs destroyed our pumpkins, cucumbers, and winter squash, but thanks to the Garden Planner, everything else performed wonderfully.

The most unusual thing we grew this year was cauliflower and the most impressive was a giant sunflower that grew up to 12 feet tall.

Enjoy the photos! My husband is standing in front of the giant sunflowers before they bloom. He is 6 feet tall. The sunflowers got even taller after that!

Rachel’s Vegetable Garden Plan

(Northwestern Oklahoma)

vegetable garden plan
See full garden plan and plant list.

The Results! Beautiful Garden Photos

rachel's vegetable garden
A wicker fence
drip irrigation in the garden
Drip irrigation
rachels garden
Combining row and container gardening
Combining row and container gardening
growing corn in the garden
huge sunflowers in the garden
Sky-high sunflowers!

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About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann