How to Prepare Your Garden for El Nino
We’re hearing a lot about El Nino lately, and if the forecasts hold, we could be in for a wet winter. After learning a few hard lessons in previous rainy seasons, I want to help you prepare your garden for whatever this year's El Nino might have in store.
Gardens love a good rain, but too much water can cause problems. Roots need both water and air. When soil stays soggy, roots can become deprived of oxygen, leading to stress and root rot.
Here are six simple ways to prepare your garden before the rain arrives.
Image by Jackson Moccelin from Pixabay
Before the Rain
These simple tips will help prepare your garden for El Nino.
1. Prepare Your Soil
Add compost to your garden beds to improve soil structure over time. Then add a loose layer of mulch to protect the soil from pounding rain and erosion. Straw is a great choice for edible gardens, while wood chips are often a better fit for ornamental beds.
Keep mulch a couple of inches away from plant stems and tree trunks.
2. Check Where the Water Goes
Walk around your yard and look for places where water collects.
Clear gutters, downspouts, and drains.
Make sure roof and patio runoff isn't pouring into garden beds or onto plant crowns. Redirect if so, or move pots to drier areas.
Address areas where water regularly pools.
Raised beds can help in poorly draining areas, but excess water still needs somewhere to go.
3. Protect Your Pots
Containers can stay waterlogged long after a storm.
Self-watering pots: Unplug them if rain is forecasted for several weeks, allowing the pots to drain. No drain stopper? Remember to tip and drain the water regularly.
Pots with saucers: Empty standing water or raise pots on pot feet.
All containers: Make sure drainage holes are clear.
4. Tidy Up and Harvest
Slugs and snails love damp hiding places.
Clear debris around vulnerable plants, under benches, and around pot rims, while leaving beneficial leaf litter elsewhere in the garden.
Before a wet stretch, harvest ripe produce and thin crowded edible plants where needed to improve airflow.
Avoid major pruning immediately before or during a storm.
5. Find Your Irrigation Shutoff
Everyone with an irrigation system should know how to turn it off.
If you aren't sure, ask your weekly gardener for instructions.
Before rain arrives, turn irrigation off or reduce watering as needed.
Not sure how to turn off your irrigation?
Many irrigation controllers are straightforward to operate. Watch this short video to see how I turn off my Orbit system.
While It's Wet
Stay Out of Soggy Beds
Wet soil compacts easily. Avoid walking on it, digging in it, or trying to loosen it while saturated.
Wait until a handful of soil crumbles when gently pressed instead of smearing. And don't assume a wilted plant needs water — check the soil around its roots first.
After the Storm
Take a quick walk through your garden and check for:
Standing water or clogged drains.
Washed-out soil, exposed roots, or displaced mulch.
Plants that have tipped over or loosened.
Signs of prolonged saturation or decay around plant bases.
Check that gutters, downspouts, and drains are clear.” Heavy rain can wash debris into them.
Before restarting irrigation, check the soil 2–3 inches below the surface. If it's still moist, hold off on watering. Once the soil begins to dry, water according to the needs of your crops. Seedlings and shallow-rooted plants may need attention sooner, while established vegetables can draw moisture from deeper in the soil.
A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way
We really have no idea how much or how little El Nino rain we might get. So our best defense is to prepare your garden for El Nino and give it a better chance of thriving through it.
Start with the soil, pay attention to drainage, and let saturated beds rest. Your garden will thank you!
Meet Me
Hi, I'm Lisa, owner, garden designer, and educator at Flourish & Feast Gardens.
As a native Southern Californian, I've spent years gardening across our region's varied conditions, from the mountains of Big Bear to the San Gabriel Valley to the coast.
After plenty of lessons learned in my own garden, I started Flourish & Feast to help homeowners create gardens where food, flowers, and pollinator habitat can thrive — productive, beautiful, and a little wild at the edges.
Curious what your yard could become? Book a free 15-minute discovery call with me. I’d love to meet you.
Explore my Food Garden Design and Food Garden Coaching services to learn more.
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