Leaving the garden unattended in hot weather

HalleS · August 2020

Hi all.

I won’t be able to tend to/water my garden for about 5 days and we’re in for some really hot weather, mid 30s. I’m not really concerned about my ornamental plants as they usually bounce back quite well but I have some tomatoes in pots and raised beds that dry out pretty quickly. I also don’t know any neighbours well enough to ask them to water for me.

It’s a bit of a long shot but I’m wondering if there is any solution to this. This is the first year my tomatoes are happy, healthy and producing fruit so I don’t want them to die! I have seen those slow release water tube things for houseplants, does anyone have any good ideas for something like that I could make for outdoor pots? Would it even work?

Thanks.

steephill · August 2020

Give the raised beds a good soak just before you go. Put the tomatoes on to deep trays and fill with water, that should get them through five days. Longer term there are lots of irrigation systems using drippers or soaker hoses which work with timers and mains water but you need an external tap.

Dovefromabove · August 2020

Do you have a northfacing area that gets shade most of the day? I would move anything in moveable containers into that area ... it'll cut down on their need for water, so if you give them a really good soak just before you go they should be ok, and it won't harm them for just 5 days.
I've not done any automated watering systems or stuff like that so I'll leave that for others to suggest something ...

HalleS · August 2020

Hi @steephill and @Dovefromabove, thanks for your advice! I can definitely move 1 pot to the shade. The raised bed I have is in full sun and can’t be moved. I don’t have a soaker hose and it’s not a very big planter so I was thinking of using some old bottles or similar with some holes in to drip water. Do you think that would work for a few days?

KT53 · August 2020

The bottles would certainly be better than nothing. As has been said, a really good soaking before you go will also help.

HalleS · August 2020

Just an update if anyone is interested...
I had moved the potted tomato into the shade and it was completely fine after 5 days of very intense heat. I put water bottles with holes in the lids next to two plants - one must’ve gotten clogged as it was still full and the plant was very dry and wilted when I returned. The other bottle worked very well and the plant was only a little droopy. I would use this method again in the future, although hopefully we won’t have to endure another heatwave like that anytime soon. 🥵

Pauline 7 · August 2020

Thank you for the update. It is nice to see the result of advice that has been given ...........wether it works or not.

Dovefromabove · August 2020

Glad your plants are ok @HalleS 😊 ... undoubtedly the good size of the container shown and your selection of a moisture-retentive compost had a lot to do with the plants’ survival. 👍

Obelixx · August 2020

When Possum was young and I had far fewer pots I would gather them all up at the back of the house - north facing - and stand them in an old paddling pool which I filled with a few inches of water. They'd survive 2 weeks of absence for summer hols this way.

As the pot collection grew and she outgrew paddling pools I'd still gather all the pots, baskets and window boxes at the back and then set a sprinkler on a timer to go off every night for about 45 minutes. You can buy battery powered timers for outside taps.

For a big, static planter, I'd be tempted to sink a length of pipe near the roots of my treasures and sit an upturned bottle in that to drip away as that would eliminate the chance of one getting blocked and failing.

HalleS · August 2020

Thanks for the tips, @Obelixx. I had thought about putting a pipe in as you’ve said but I didn’t have the time as it was a short notice, semi-emergency trip (Everyone is fine now). Although I wish I had gone on holiday but I wouldn’t go anywhere now if they paid me! Hopefully I will have more notice the next time I have to abandon the garden.

Thank you all for your help!

Leaving the garden unattended in hot weather

Posts