Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen: it’s hot outside. Southern summers are nothing to sneeze away. The heat and that humidity are not only a knock out punch for humans and animals, but our poor plants take a beating as well. A small schedule adjustment when it comes to watering and tending to your plants can be a tremendous help. Have you tried night gardening?

Night gardening is as simple as it sounds: gardening at night. There are so many benefits that come with waiting until the stars come out to garden. For starters, you are spared from the relentless heat of the South. As long as you have enough lighting in your garden to suit your individual needs, you can get so much done without worrying about experiencing a heat stroke. Watering your plants at night allows them a chance to spend the entire evening soaking up all of that marvelous H²O without losing a lot of the water to evaporation.

 I’ve personally found night gardening to be quite relaxing as well. In the peace of the evening, I get to listen to crickets and enjoy less of the noise pollution that comes with daytime activity. The humidity is lower, so I can breathe easier. The family of toads that have moved into my garden dine on the pests that try invade my plants. On occasion, a crispness will come through the air that hints of fall being around the corner. Getting up at the crack of dawn to water plants just takes a toll on a not-so-morning person such as myself. To have gardening be the last thing that I cross off my Daily To Do List is a very fulfilling way to end a day. Night gardening has even helped me sleep better! Instead of waking up to plants that need to be watered, I wake up to a lusher garden that looks like it had a good night’s rest, too!

 Not all of us have the luxury of being able to go outside at night comfortably. If you are able to safely garden at night, I hope that you are willing to give it a try. It can be such a pleasant experience. This won’t be an option when the temperature begins to drop as the seasons change. A summer night in the Deep South is a thing of beauty that does not get the credit that it deserves. Why not enjoy that time outside by taking care of your beautiful garden?