On the horizon, there was a massive splash as the whale breached the bay. What a magnificent sight! This was one of the amazing things we saw on our summer vacation.
My husband and I seldom go on vacation during the summer months because there’s so much to do during the garden season. But this year, we joined our children and grandchildren on a cruise to Alaska.
There were many tasks to do leading up to our trip. Getting passports, shopping, packing and so much more. But for me, my biggest concern was getting the garden prepped. I needed to set it up in a way that I could be confident it would survive our time away.
If you’re taking a vacation this summer, then I have some ideas that can give you a sense of peace when you leave your garden. Follow these steps to prepare your garden for a vacation.
5 Steps to Prepare Your Garden for a Vacation…
Step 1… Assess and Plan
The first step in preparing the garden for your time away is to assess the situation. Walk around your garden to determine the high-priority things your garden will need while you’re gone. Here are a few things to consider:
- How long will you be gone? An extended weekend trip is not as difficult as a 7 to 10 day vacation.
- Watering your plants is the most important consideration. There won’t be anyone to catch a critical situation if you have an area that isn’t getting enough water.
- If you have grass, especially in the front, find someone to mow it. While you could leave the back unmowed, you don’t want your home to look like you’re on vacation.
- Find someone to do the harvesting. If your flowers and veggies are not picked regularly, they can stop producing. At the very least, go through each plant and harvest any produce that is getting close to being ripe.
Once you’ve completed your assessment, make a list of the most important tasks you need to do before you hit the road. Here are a few ideas of tasks to complete before you leave on vacation:
- Deep-water your plants for a few days before your trip
- Mulch your plants to help hold in moisture
- Pull any weeds you see
- Tidy up your garden
- Mow the lawn
- Move your flowerpots to an area that will get watered regularly
Step 2… Provide Water
In order to keep your plants alive, you’ll need to supply water while you’re gone. If you have underground irrigation, take the time to test all your stations. You might need to clean out your sprinkler heads and filters to make sure all areas are getting adequate water.
If you don’t have underground sprinklers, consider setting up drip hoses. You can add a timer to turn the hoses on and off. Just be sure to do a test run to make sure everything is working.
What about your flowerpots? Containers that are hand-watered need special attention. One option is to move all of your containers into watering zones. If the pot is light enough to be moved, place it in a flower bed that will regularly receive water from irrigation.
If you’re unable to move your flower pots, set up drip lines into the pots so that your flowers get water. Test your emitters to make sure they aren’t clogged. If this isn’t an option, you’ll need to find someone who can stop by and water your containers.
If someone is going to come and water your flowerpots, consider grouping them together in a shady area. This makes watering easier and reduces the stress on your potted plants.
Step 3… Find Some Help
If you have friends or family close by, you might ask them to keep an eye on your garden to make sure it’s getting adequate water. They could also harvest your ripe produce.
We had two apricot trees that were in full harvest mode when we left. Rather than come home to a pile a rotten fruit on the ground, I rounded up some friends and family who could pick the ripening fruit. They got to enjoy the produce, and I didn’t have to worry that it was going to waste.
If you don’t have any close friends, family, or neighbors to help, you could pay a teenager to stop by periodically to water and pick your produce. The money spent is well worth the peace of mind you’ll have.
Step 4… Pet Protection
If you’re leaving pets at home and in the care of family and friends, you’ll need to determine whether protecting your garden from the animals is necessary.
For areas you don’t want your pets to get into, consider blocking off that section. Chicken wire or moveable fence sections work well to section off your garden. We set up a chicken wire perimeter around one of the apricot trees to keep our dogs out of the fruit… they love apricots.
You can also use fence panels to block areas of your flower beds to protect your favorite blooms while you’re gone. While our “puppy” is much improved over last year, I still didn’t trust him not to get bored and dig up my dahlias. I used fence panels to keep him out of some of my flower beds.
Step 5… Catch-up Day
As part of your “vacation,” plan a day or two once you get home to get everything back in shape. Many people come home and immediately jump back into their regular schedule without taking the time to get the garden back on track.
Some of the tasks you might need to catch up on include:
- Put the flower containers back in their original places. While you’re at it, deadhead the plants, trim up any damaged stems, and give them a dose of fertilizer.
- Remove the fence panels and chicken wire blockades.
- Give the garden a deep soak in case there were areas that didn’t get enough water.
- Harvest any produce that’s ready to go. Compost any that are past their prime.
- Do a quick deadhead through your flower beds to remove spent flowers.
- Anticipate that you’ll need to do some weeding. It’s amazing how quickly the weeds can grow when you’re not around to pull them.
A Few Things to Avoid…
While preparing for your vacation, there are a few things you’ll want to avoid.
- Do not fertilize plants prior to your vacation. This will stimulate new growth and can mean that the plant will need more attention, not less. Wait until you get home to fertilize.
- Avoid planting new flowers or produce right before leaving. You could come home to a bunch of dead transplants.
We came home from our trip during a triple-digit heat wave. All my flowerpots were happy to get some extra water. I lost a few plants, one to the puppy and one to poor placement on my part. But overall, the garden fared well.
Getting ready for a vacation means taking a few extra steps to ensure that everything will be well maintained. It’s possible to set up your garden to minimize the potential damage and loss of your plants. With planning and a few friends, you can come home to a beautiful, thriving garden.
Whether you get to see a whale breaching Glacier Bay or not, with a little extra care, your garden can survive your vacation like a champ!
