Holidays - what to do

[BumbleB]

I am preparing for a holiday on Sunday but spending more time fretting about my garden, crops and seedlings than time thinking about what to pack/take etc.

I am sure all of you must have taken holidays from your plots and gardens so I was hoping for some tips on the care and watering while I am not here.

The bits I am worried about are as follows:

Tumbling toms in baskets - about 8
Peppers, chilli, aubergines in pots in the greenhouse
Tomato money maker planted in greenhouse borders - 6
Small flower seedlings in greenhouse

Also various pots and wall planters with summer bedding on the patio and some bigger flower seedlings.

Planted in the veg plot: Runner beans, courgettes, squash, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, french beans and more toms.

In the house on windowsills, a large chilli, some tiny plum tomato seedlings, some basil and hyslopp.

I have someone who can come to water once during the week, hopefully in the middle.

Do you think this will be enough or should I take some further steps to avoid my crops spoiling while I am away? I was hoping that first week of june would be a mild week with some rain but it has been very hot today and w/e forecast is good too.

I shall fret the whole week !

[janeyo]

My mum waters my greenhouse for me everyday if I am away and the neighbour opens the door first thing when he feeds the chooks. I am not sir eif watering the g/h once in the week will be enough.

[lyndap]

When I went away end of march I lined a tray(black seed tray with no holes in bottom) with newspaper,then a layer of cottonwool,gave a good soaking then stood my seedling pots etc on this.So maybe this could work for your indoor plants as long as not in full sun.My seedlings survived the week we were away,so hope this helps with that part of question.

[BarleySugar]

I hate going away in the summer, even someone watering every day seems to manage to muck it up. That being said to cheer you up, I do have a couple of ideas.

Leave the greenhouse open all week, it won't be cold enough to do any harm.
Water the veg plot and greenhouse borders well late Sat night/ sun morning depending on what time you have.
Would the flower seedlings be better outside in a shady place? The smaller the amount of compost, the quicker it dries out.
Move the pots inside to the draining board, stand on a wet newspaper dipped into a sink full of water. The water is drawn up by capillary action and keeps the pots moist.
Fill 2l drinks bottles with water and put them upside down into the well watered pots in the greenhouse. Some will leak out straight away, but then it should slow down, and gradually water the plant. This works better if you have some watering spikes, but you probably have more than enough to do without trying to locate some of those tomorrow.

[-pat m]

I put a note up around our village offering a reciprocal arrangement for someone else going on holiday – It works a treat they even look after my chickens and cut my grass when I was away (as a surprise!) – a really nice retired chap (while he was away I re-felted his shed because he had done such a great job for me – the arrangement still stands and help each other regularly. It might be a little late for this week but put a few notices out and see what happens for later on in the year or next?

Regards
Pat

[annacruachan]

In the past as a desperate measure I have lined the shower with old towels, stood all my indoor plants on it and left the shower dripping cold water. The bathroom is light and I was only away a week. Perhaps this would work for your seedlings?

[Lemon]

we put the pots under the garden table for shade. We put the hanging baskets on top of buckets, also in shade. Give things a good drink. Basically, keep plants shady out of sunlight which will dry them out.

If you have someone to water that would be good.

Enjoy your hols!

[BumbleB]

Wow, thanks everyone, some great ideas so far. I am sure this will help others to going on holiday.

So recapping: If I leave GH door open and stand pots on trays with wetted newspaper beside a plastic bowl of water. Indoor plants in the shower or draining board. Find a shady spot for outdoor seedlings.

I think the hanging baskets may be a problem as they are not easy to move or stand anywhere else due to their shape - I have used up my buckets!

[helanuels]

Just a thought, if your draining board gets lots of sun, use lots of news paper or it may dry out quickly. We normally use a tea towels. And if the person can come and water, ask them to make sure the sink has plenty too and not to move plants off draining board. a neighbour of my great uncle's made a cuppa and washed up... moving plants from watered tea towel.
Hx

[Two_Sheds]

I am sure all of you must have taken holidays from your plots and gardens so I

Nope, not during April / May / June, despite pressure from Mr Sheds to have a "summer holiday".
The allotment is my holiday

[Two_Sheds]

We went away for the whole of September last year, and left FiL in charge of the greenhouse.
Rather than water little and often, he thought he'd get away with one big drink once, and left everything sitting in water. Everything drowned

[vicky]

I've only had one 'summer' holiday too, it's too nice to go away this time of year!
I stood all my pots in the paddling pool in a shady place and asked the neighbour to look over the fence and check if they needed watering...they could even do it from their side by standing on a chair with a hose!

[BumbleB]

Hi, I am back.
Thanks to all the advice here, all of my plants have survived very well for the week that I was away. All of my smaller seedlings were left inside on wet towels in the bath or the kitchen draining board and they have grown on very well. The tomato plants in the garden were placed in part shade and I stood them in a very large watered tray.

I am amazed at how much everything has grown in the garden in a week. Mind you the bindweed has grown well too and the slugs have had a bit of a feed on my dwarf french beans.

But happy to have had a holiday and alls well.

[Flummery]

Glad you enjoyed it! Does you good, a break - especially if you don't come back to carnage and dead plants!

[JILLY JACKSON]

Well done bumble b,i am currently doing a 30 mile round trip to water my sisters garden,ive hunted round trying to find large saucers to stand some of her pots in.I'm off there again in a minute to check things out.they seem to dry out very quickly!!Hope you had a lovely holiday