Summertime is synonymous with many things, such as hot weather, vacations, and thriving gardens. If this accurately describes your situation, then you may be wondering how to set up everything so the hot temperatures don’t wreak havoc on your beautiful garden while you’re on your getaway.
Assuming you don’t want to wait until winter and your family and friends are not available to help you out, here are the top tips to ensure your garden survives while you’re on a summer vacation.
Install an Automatic Irrigation System
Besides helping to conserve water, an automatic irrigation system can be a lifesaver to your garden when you’re away. The good news is you can find drip irrigation kits at any company that sells landscape supplies, and they’re easy to set up.
All you have to do is connect one end to an outdoor faucet. Then make sure the other end with branches and emitters that ooze water is pointed on as many beds as you want. Once you connect the entire rig to a battery-operated timer and give it a test run, you’re good to go.
Alternatively, you can just add a timer to your hose bib and soaker hose if you want something low-tech.
Get Rid of Weeds
Weeds are water thieves that compete with your plants for nutrients and other precious resources. They are particularly prone to thriving in sunny weather, where they can quickly multiply and starve your garden.
It’s, therefore, best not to leave your plants in the company of well-established weeds. So, a few days before you leave, set aside time to pull out weeds by the root either by hand or using an appropriate tool.
Spread a Thick Layer of Mulch
Mulch is always a gardening must-have when it comes to helping your soil retain moisture. Ideally, you should spread a layer of mulch that’s 2 or 3 inches thick, whether it’s bark, wood, or grass mulch. But be sure to only do this after soaking your garden.
The mulch will act as a protective layer that reduces water evaporation, buying you up to a week of vacation time. As a bonus, mulch also helps to smother weeds while providing extra soil nutrients.
Give Your Plants Some Shade
If you’ve got potted and container plants scattered all over your garden, be sure to leave them in a strategic spot with plenty of shade and where they can access water from your automatic irrigation system. It’s also an excellent time to remove hanging plants since they are constantly exposed to the dehydrating effects of windy weather.
Additionally, you can set up a temporary shade structure for vulnerable plants in the ground with just a few poles and a wide piece of shade cloth. This will reduce evaporation and keep your plants from getting dehydrated.
Make Some Self-Watering Jugs
Self-watering jugs use a slow-release technique to ensure your plants are kept alive while you’re away and no one is around to help. You can make them using home supplies such as empty milk or soda jugs, 1-liter water bottles, and strong plastic bags.
Simply poke tiny holes in the bottom, so water drips out as slowly as possible, keeping the soil moist for a long time. From there, it’s all a matter of positioning the jugs or bags around your garden. When you do so, ensure that each jug is firmly set into the soil.
Don't Add Fertilizer
While fertilizer is sometimes great for giving your precious plants a dose of nutrients, doing so before your vacation can be counterproductive. That’s because a fertilizer boost will only stimulate growth and the demand for more water. Ideally, you want your plants to slow down the water uptake until you return.
Harvest Your Garden
Be sure to harvest any bounty in your garden so it doesn’t all go to waste. If you’re going away for longer, also pick anything that’s near ripe. For instance, tomatoes can be harvested even when they’re just changing color since the ripening process can still be completed off the vine. If you’re planning your vacation ahead of time and planting a garden simultaneously, you can time things, so the harvest time coincides with your departure.
Mix in Some Water-Absorbing Crystals
Water-absorbing crystals are readily available in many garden centers. When placed in contact with water, these small granules are designed to absorb a whopping several hundred times their weight in water.
Once they suck up the water, they then slowly release it when the surrounding soil dries. Most people use them for potted plants and herbs, but you can still sprinkle some crystals in your garden beds to help out vulnerable in-ground plants.
Water Everything Thoroughly Before Leaving
To ensure your plants don’t get thirsty as soon as you walk out the door, give them a thorough soaking just before leaving. You may have to water them several times, pausing to let the water soak in, before repeating. By the end, the top 3 or 4 inches (at least) of your garden beds should be thoroughly moist, and containers should have water dripping out of the bottom.
Hire a Garden Sitter
If you think you won’t fully relax on your vacation unless someone is keeping an eye on your garden, then the best thing is to hire a garden sitter. To cut expenses, you can have them come in on certain days to make sure the measures you put in place are still working and make adjustments where necessary. If you feel your garden needs extra special care, remember to leave detailed instructions, especially concerning the amount of water your plants require.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re going away on a weekend trip or a full-fledged vacation, you can find something that works for you and your garden in the tips mentioned above. One last thing: Enjoy your holiday and don’t worry too much about your lawn. Lawns can be pretty resilient, and all that brown will disappear once you’re back to tend to it.