I made a bit of a social faux pas the other day. I commented in my local gardening group about what a brilliant season it’s been for the garden—record eggplant, capsicum, and tomato crops, not to mention an abundance of zucchini, basil, and beans. I’ve been loving the extra heat, which has really helped things along.

However, as the comments started rolling in, I quickly realized that for those without town water—relying instead on tanks and dams that had gone dry—this had been one of the worst seasons in a long time.

Let’s take a quick sidebar to sum things up, courtesy of AI—because I have gardening to do and would rather not spend time summarizing when I have a tool that can do it for me.

Over the past four months, [my town] has experienced significantly lower rainfall than usual, raising concerns for gardeners and farmers alike. From November 2024 to February 2025, total rainfall measured just 71.8 mm—roughly half of the historical average of 142.7 mm for this period. While December saw a slightly above-average 40.2 mm, both January and February were exceptionally dry, recording only 2.8 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively. Compared to the same period in 2023-2024, which saw 129.6 mm of rain, the current conditions are noticeably drier. The Bureau of Meteorology has reported below-average rainfall across western and central Victoria, signaling a shift towards drought-like conditions. While an official drought declaration requires further assessment, gardeners should take proactive steps to conserve moisture, improve soil health, and choose drought-tolerant plants to navigate these challenging conditions. With climate variability playing an increasing role, sustainable water management will be key to maintaining healthy gardens in the months ahead.

I have to admit, I felt bad. We have town water and can afford to pay for it (though we strongly believe water should be free).

That said, we also rely on good gardening practices and microclimates to retain moisture. The more you feed and cover the soil, the healthier the soil bacteria, and the better the water retention—each element influencing the other.

To the west of our vegetable garden, we’ve planted native trees to block the worst of the winds. We also have a grapevine specifically grown to provide afternoon shade. The vegetables still get at least six hours of sunlight daily, which is all they need—there’s no reason for them to bake in the sun all day.

We also use four main wicking tubs made from IBCs (large industrial containers), which help reduce water usage. They work especially well for eggplants, capsicums, and cucumbers.

To further improve soil health, I’ve let a few zucchini vines trail over unused raised beds, keeping the soil shaded while the green matter inside breaks down. These beds are also covered with seaweed and straw for added moisture retention.

The garden’s shade cover has also increased significantly over the years. We have fruit trees—lemon, lime, plums, and quinces—along with a maple, magnolia, elderberry, and various natives. Birdbaths are placed under some of these trees so that when the water is refilled, the trees benefit from incidental watering. Nowadays, I can walk around my garden until midday and stay in the shade—something that wasn’t possible 15 years ago.

Our raised beds are filled halfway with logs, which retain water and promote bacterial activity as they decompose. Even the unused beds require minimal resources, especially when covered with mulch and seaweed. Larger areas of bare soil are also heavily mulched or naturally shaded by plants.

I felt somewhat vindicated when a permaculturist house-sat for us in January. She told me it was one of the best water-wise gardens she’d seen—designed to protect and nourish the soil. That made me really happy!

Of course, not everything has thrived. Our Granny Smith apple tree, which isn’t near a hose, has struggled—I’ve had to haul buckets of water to it every couple of days just to keep it alive.

When we first moved here 15 years ago, the land was quite dry, and I considered installing a greywater system. That’s still on the cards if we face another drought, but for now, we’re managing. I’ll continue feeding the soil through winter with layers of mulch and manure so next summer’s garden will be just as resilient.

Thankfully, we had a good soaking of rain the other day, and the whole town rejoiced! Even so, the dam at the bottom of our property, which usually overflows, didn’t fill up completely this time. Hopefully, more rain is on the way. Last night, the frogs and birds were singing like mad—and, honestly, so were we, on the inside.

I’ve realized that I mostly learn as I go. I’m not much for reading gardening books—I prefer to experiment, observe, and adapt. But after years of trial and error (since my teenage years), I’ve picked up a few tricks that have helped our garden survive the summer—and helped us, and the frogs, along the way.

With Love,

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