How to save the garden and harvest after storm damage

A strong storm that hit Latvia last weekend left gardens flooded in several areas and caused fruit trees and branches to break. To help gardeners deal with the aftermath, experts offered advice on preserving damaged crops and protecting vegetables that have not yet fully grown.

Draining water from the garden

Agronomist and vegetable-growing expert Mārīte Gailīte explains that ideally, gardens should be protected before heavy rains hit, to prevent flooding in the first place. She recommends digging small drainage ditches through the garden and around greenhouses to keep water out. For smaller plots, a shovel-depth ditch is enough — no excavator is needed. This work is easier while the soil is still relatively dry; once the garden is already flooded, digging through wet soil becomes much harder.

Gailīte notes that the ditch doesn't need to lead anywhere specific — its main purpose is simply to give excess water somewhere to go away from plant roots. Once conditions return to normal, the ditch can be filled back in.

An alternative approach

For those who find digging ditches too labor-intensive, the expert suggests another method: pushing a garden fork vertically into the soil as close to the plants as possible, to a depth of about 25–30 centimeters. This doesn't drain the water itself, but it creates vertical gaps in the soil that let air reach the roots, reducing damage caused by oxygen deprivation.

Gailīte adds that now is the time to harvest garlic and onions, so these crops deserve particular attention following the storm.