Drought conditions affecting big farms and small gardens alike

MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va (WTRF) – As of Monday, all 55 counties in West Virginia are under an official drought emergency.

Governor Jim Justice made the declaration Friday, saying the drought has placed farmers at risk of losing their crops.

Backyard gardeners face the same risk on a smaller scale.

The USDA office in McMechen has impressive raised bed gardens. They water their plants with a soaker hose. But their plants are still struggling this summer.

Katie Fitzsimmons says we need to water our gardens generously, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to water.

“We usually tell people that the best time of day is early in the morning or later in the evening. You don’t want to do it during the hottest part of the day. Because that way, then the plants can burn. Put the water down at the bottom of the plant at the soil level. So a soaker hose might be something that’ll get down onto the soil so that you’re not getting water on your leaves.”

Katie Fitzsimmons, District Conservationist, USDA

She says getting the leaves wet can lead to the plant being burned and can introduce disease.

She says it appears that the drought may continue into the summer, and even when we do get some rain, don’t give up watering.

She says it will take a while to get the water table up to where it needs to be.

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