A Going-On-Vacation Checklist for the Home Gardener
What I've Learned About Leaving Your Kitchen Garden to Fend for Itself While You Take Care of Yourself
I love my kitchen garden and I love the beach, and prime beach-going time is also the garden’s primetime. What to do?
I’ve been getting better at being away from my garden without sacrificing produce each year. I’ve learned a lot about what makes a difference. So, allow me to offer you this simple checklist of things you can do before you abandon your kitchen garden for a week or two.
Make a Water Plan
✅ Check the Forecast
Plants tend to suffer more from too much water than from too little. You don’t want to plan to super-soak your garden every day while you’re gone if there are heavy rains on the way. Wait until a few days before you leave for a more accurate prediction.
✅ Set Irrigation
If you have drip lines in your garden, and irrigation on a timer, set it for a deep soak at least every few days, depending on the weather forecast. For my trip last week, I set the irrigation to drip every other day.
You can also use a soaker hose with a timer. It’s cheap and effective.
✅ No Irrigation? Hire a Kid
If that’s not an option, consider hiring a kid or a teenager in your neighborhood to water deeply every few days.
Or buy olla watering spikes for the containers and invert full water bottles in them the morning you leave.
✅ Group Pots in a Sheltered Location
If you have a lot of smaller containers, and especially terracotta (which dries out faster than painted ceramic), move them all into a group.
If you have sprinklers, you can move them into the path of the water.
If you’re getting watering help from a kid, grouping them together make it simpler for them to manage.
I like to move mine into dappled shade near the water source—even plants that prefer full-sun—for that week or so that I’m gone to cut down on the chance a really hot day gives them hell.
✅ Mulch
It’s not essential, but if you can apply a fresh layer of mulch or compost to your beds before you leave, it will help retain moisture. I didn’t get around to it this time, and things were still fine, but I had topped everything off with compost about a month before.
Get Ahead of Pest Issues
✅ Look for Eggs
Monitor for pests diligently the week leading up to your trip. Give this chore some extra attention. Turn leaves over to look for eggs.
✅ Hand Pick
Pluck off caterpillars and beetles and feed to the birds.
✅ Chill Out
Yes, a few tomato hornworms can decimate tomato plants in just a few days, but it will ultimately be out of your control when you’re not there. Do your best to spot them before you leave and then chill out. We’re gardening in the South, and if you lose your plants, there’s till time to plant some more.
Harvest and Invite Neighbors to Browse
✅ Harvest Everything You Can
Pick everything that’s even close to being ready to harvest. Pick them smaller than you usually do. Prune the tight clusters of leaves that indicate basil or mint going to flower. When produce stays on too long or flowers form on herbs, annual plants start thinking they are almost done for the season. You don’t want them sailing away to retirement while you’re gone.
✅ Invite Friends and Neighbors to Browse
A week or two before you leave, invite a few friends and neighbors to browse your garden for produce while you are go. Let them know you are serious, that it will be helpful.
Amp Up the Support
✅ Cut Back
Especially for things that can get out of control, like indeterminate tomatoes, prune a little more than you would usually to make sure they stay as supported as possible while you’re gone.
Prune off some of the larger leaves on things like zucchini and squash that might complete shade out smaller plants.
✅ Trellis
Add more stakes or supports if needed. Nothing worse than a storm snapping those primary stems in half.
If you can, wait until the morning you leave to prune, stake and harvest.
No matter what, you’re going to need to give your garden some extra love when you get back, but this approach cuts down on plant and produce loss.
I got back from the beach last weekend and was harvesting two huge cucumbers and a summer squash within minutes of emerging from the car. The next morning, I staked all the vines that had fallen over, and cut back the flowers that hadn’t survived in the no-water zone of my garden. I harvested the last of the garlic that had needed that week I was gone to get ready for eating.
I found a few squash bugs and Mexican bean beetles, but no significant damage. And now we’re well on our way to the height of summer produce. It can be done!
Best of luck. And, if you have more tips for taking a vacation from your kitchen garden during the summer, please share in the comments.