Tips for keeping your plot maintained when away

[Emily Peagram]

Hello forum members!

What advice would you give a novice grower who is concerned about going away on holiday during the summer months? Do you have any tips to keep your crops ticking over while you're away?

Please note that answers may be edited and used in the June issue of Grow Your Own magazine.

Thank you, Emily

[alldigging]

The best advice is don't have holidays during the summer...

If you have to then you need to do an intensive weeding or mulching session before you go. And be prepared to spend some time there as soon as you're back. It might mean you have to avoid unpacking the cases and doing the laundry at home!

It's unfair to ask friends or fellow plot holders to do anything other than water whilst you're away. Offering to let someone pick your produce is fraught with risk - they might pick all the fruit right up until the day you're back leaving you with no ripe strawberries.

[Hans Mum]

Inevitable that at some point life throws a curve ball & you cant be there for some reason. Cultivate (scuse the pun) friendships on your site and someone will usually be happy to water & keep an eye on things for you & it can be reciprocated. Send the (adult) child to pick although be warned mine managed to 'miss' 15+ cucumbers last year And dont panic if you have a holiday planned enjoy it.

[Alison]

I don't tend to go away much during the summer as it costs so much more and we often have nice weather here anyway. I do however sometimes find it difficult to get to the plot much during the week so make sure I've set up good irrigation systems for the polytunnel so that it can cope with the gap between visits. My mum sometimes goes and harvests but on the whole I will do a good picking on each visit, even if that means picking some things slightly smaller than usual to prevent them going over before I get a chance to visit again. Weeds can always wait but mulching of beds helps both supress them and also reduce the requirement for water.

[Penellype]

Being mainly pots, my garden would struggle if I went on holiday (last time I did so I lost most of the tomatoes). Luckily I am allergic to holidays anyway so I just stay here

[Jungle Jane]

I was away for about 12 days so invested in an automatic watering system,so it can take care of itself. Slugs are the worst problem so copper tape wrapped around troughs etc. Beans need picking,they grow tough skinned if left on the plant & produce poorly there after. You could try & time runner beans so they delay flowering-plant them later,so you're home in time for first picking? If using netting for brassica,keep it well above/away from the plant,butterflies sit on the netting & lay eggs under the leaves,caterpillars will eat the lot by the time you return.

[Snadger]

When I first got my plot I didn't know any of the existing plotholders so just left a few watering cans full of water along with a big notice in my greenhouse, which is near to the main path, saying 'PLEASE WATER ME'

The kind folk on our site obliged and my toms were fine on my return!

[noviceveggrower]

The thing is when you have a plot you can't really leave it unless you have someone to check it over for you. Its also getting someone who knows what they are doing and looking for as well.
Last year when we went on holiday from Monday to Friday it did nothing but rain so my plot was ok. Was back on the Friday afternoon picking the stuff that needed picking.

[Guest]

Its also getting someone who knows what they are doing and looking for as well.

MiL looked after my plants when we went away years ago. She has a large garden well looked after and crammed full of plants. However she felt she knew better than me with my plants. Put holes in trays and made them surplus to requirements. Binned trays of sown seed. Moaned that I drown my plants etc. etc. Knowledge is a dangerous thing

[liis]

I go to visit my mum and dad abroad every year for about 2-3 weeks. During summer. And it's either the husband or his mum who do the watering and picking (no weeding or other sorts mind you, i think i wouldnt trust them with that) I usually try to time things so that the biggest harvest is when i'm around. And just be prepared to do loads of weeding/damage control when i'm back. There's always things that have died but that's the risk i'm willing to take.

[Jimmy]

Mine is a back garden plot.
So I set up a hose for the greenhouse.
All the growbags have two upside down milk cartons to water into.
So all the friend that waters has to do is fill up to cartons with the hose.
2 minutes of a job.
Also for remuneration I usually give him six bottles of beer for a weeks watering.
When I am on holiday he does the same.

The wife suggested not to give each other beer.

I suggested to keep her nose out of a perfectly amicable process !

Jimmy

[batman]

As my partner and I both work full time, we're often away from the plot throughout the week. We try to go at least once during the week and in the weekend, and in summer try going every second or third day at least, but sometimes this just doesn't work out.

So all of our plants need to be at least hardy enough to survive this much neglect ;-)

This means when the holidays happen, we just strim the paths very short, have a good tidy up and weeding session, and then just leave the watering of the greenhouse up to our plot neighbours. There's always someone who's around while we're away, and we can then trade holiday services. The only thing we ask for is watering of the greenhouse (but with 20 tomato plants and no hose, this is a lengthy job still!) and they should pick whatever ripens at the time for themselves

[BertieFox]

We found the organisation 'Trusted House Sitters' incredibly useful. It's a simple arrangement where someone prepared to house sit (and garden sit) stay in your home during your holiday for free, and in return they keep an eye on security, pets and garden.

Of course it is based on trust, but the website has lists of people who have references and have been vetted. We had a wonderful couple a few years ago who looked after our chucks, geese, dogs and garden while we swanned off to Spain for three weeks.

We are thinking of doing the same this year.

House Sitting Made Easy: TrustedHousesitters.com