03/09/2026
Water saving!
I took classes with this amazing teacher and now call him a great friend, one of the best gardeners and human beings I’ve ever known! Wholistic Living University
💧 Watering *without* water? Part 1: Work with the soil
When the weather turns dry, our first instinct is often to reach for the hose.
This week, Hans-Gunther of Wholistic Learning University https://whlu.org/, who has more than four decades of experience teaching biodynamic gardening and is also a weekly Biodynamic Gardening Club contributor - shares some of the techniques he uses to help gardens cope with drought.
Some of the answer lies not in simply reaching for the hose, but in how we manage the soil itself:
🌱 Hoe the surface. Hans describes the old farming saying that “the hoe was your best watering can.” Lightly hoeing can create a loose surface or “dust mulch”, helping reduce evaporation from the soil.
🌱 Create a compost-filled planting trench. Before planting, Hans pushes a spade into the planting row and works it backwards and forwards to create a narrow V-shaped ditch. This is then filled vertically with mature compost, creating a moisture-retaining, fertile rooting zone.
🌱 Keep the ground covered. Rather than leaving bare soil between crops, Hans recommends low-growing plants such as white clover, bird’s-foot trefoil and vetch.
🌱 Think about roots. Deep-rooting companion plants such as chicory, lupins, buckwheat and phacelia can explore different layers of the soil.
The principle is simple: don’t just think about supplying water - think about helping the soil hold and access the water already there.
Next week: Can biodynamic preparations help plants through drought?
👉 Join the Biodynamic Gardening Club for free on facebook, where Hans shares practical gardening advice like this every week: https://buff.ly/pymmeRj
