Top Tips for Taking Care of Your Garden While Traveling
Getting your home and garden ready for vacation can be stressful. But it doesn’t have to be! With proper planning, you can keep your outdoor plants and houseplants alive when you’re gone for days or weeks at a time. Here are my top tips for taking care of your plants before—and while—you’re traveling.
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One of the things I’m often asked on the blog when readers see me take off on a road trip for days or weeks at a time is: Who takes care of your garden when you’re away?
Or, especially in the summer: How can you even leave your garden with all those tomatoes growing?!
The way we invest in and nurture our plants, they’re practically our babies. And since we can’t very well pack them up in the car, many of us feel tied to the responsibilities of caring for a vegetable garden the way we care for children or pets.
But with careful planning, it is entirely possible to leave your garden for a week or more, guilt-free and stress-free, and actually come back to a garden that’s even bigger and better than you remembered.
Trusted Friends and Automation
I count myself fairly lucky. I have trusted friends who are willing to house-sit, plant-sit, and chicken-sit. They know my house inside and out, and have free reign of the property while we’re gone, encouraged to pick as many vegetables and collect as many eggs as they can eat.
Most of them aren’t even gardeners themselves, but they once kept trays of seedlings alive for 10 days when I was away, raising them from seed to sprout. They simply know what needs watering and when, and consult a list we leave that outlines our schedule.
This was all before we had an automated drip irrigation system in place. So believe me, if you’re still hand-watering the majority of your garden, you should only leave that task to a very close friend or family member who will still like you when you come back from vacation, all glowing and smiling and breathlessly exclaiming, “So, how did it all go?!”
Establish a Game Plan
If there’s a trip on the horizon and you haven’t yet made a game plan, establish one now so that come countdown time, the only thing you’re anxious about is what to pack for your time away.
Here are my top tips for taking care of your garden before—and while—you’re traveling:
- Automate Your Watering System: Install a drip irrigation system with a timer to ensure consistent watering.
- Mulch Your Plants: Apply a thick layer of mulch to help retain moisture in the soil.
- Move Potted Plants: Group potted plants together in a shaded area to reduce water loss.
- Enlist Help: Ask a trusted friend or neighbor to check on your garden periodically.
- Water Deeply Before Leaving: Give your plants a thorough watering right before you leave.
- Prune and Harvest: Trim back any overgrown plants and harvest ripe vegetables to reduce stress on your plants.
By following these tips, you can ensure your garden stays healthy and vibrant while you enjoy your time away.
