Here’s How to Care for Your Lawn & Garden While You’re Away

For many people summer weather means cottage season, weekends away, and even vacations. It also means time away from your lawn and garden. Leaving for even a few days without a plan in place can lead to scorched grass, wilted flowers and a downtrodden vegetable garden upon return. Thankfully, there are measures you can put in place to ensure you come back to a lush and healthy landscape.

Clean Up Prior to Leaving

Whether or not you’ve put someone in place to take care of things, you should tidy up before leaving. Pull weeds and remove any dead leaves on plants and on the ground. Pick off or pick up any rotten fruit and vegetables and throw them in your compost. Get rid of any trash or debris from your yard and flower beds and trim your bushes and shrubs. This will give whoever is taking over a clean slate to work with, while also ensuring your garden is as healthy as possible beforehand.

Do a Pest Check

Garden pests can do major damage in a short time, so look for signs that slugs, aphids, or other insects are chewing on your plants. Apply insecticide to kill or repel them (natural and organic formulations are available). Rodents are another common pest, especially if you’re growing tasty, ground-level vegetables. Consider installing a wire fence to help protect your garden while you’re away.

Mulch

Put down a fresh layer of mulch before you leave. This will keep plant roots cooler, allow for proper moisture and drainage, and help prevent the growth of weeds. There are various types of mulch that can be used, including wood chips, sawdust, pine needles, and other organic materials.

Harvest

If you are growing edibles in your garden it’s important to harvest any ripened fruit and vegetables before you leave, and arrange to have someone pick them while you’re gone. Plants continue to produce only when you keep harvesting. Allowing food to rot on the vine will make the plant think no more is needed, and you may reap a smaller harvest once you return. There are many ways to handle excess produce, including storing it underground in a root cellar or basement. You can also store food by canning, pickling, fermenting, and freezing with a vacuum sealer. Additionally, friends and family might be happy to come by and harvest for you in exchange for a share of the bounty.

Prune

Be sure to prune any dried or damaged leaves on your flowers, shrubs, and herbs before leaving. This will encourage them to grow bigger and bushier while you’re gone and help promote their long-term health.

Planters & Containers

If you have any plants in containers, you should water them deeply before leaving. Move them to a shaded area of your yard to keep them cool, and to allow your watering to last longer. You should also group containers together and install fencing if rodents and other animals are a problem. For cooler weather, wrapping the containers in plastic can help create a warming greenhouse effect to safeguard against frost.

Absentee Watering

If you are away for more than a couple days, your garden will still need to be watered regularly. Try to arrange for a friend, neighbour or family member to take on this task. If that isn’t possible, you should consider installing an irrigation system. There are numerous options to choose from, including: 

• Sprinklers: These can work on a timer, watering your plants at regular intervals to ensure they don’t dry out and expire 

• Wicking: In this system, water is kept in a reservoir that plants can “drink” from over time, greatly reducing watering time 

• Drip Systems: A drip watering system delivers continuous small amounts of water to your plants to help prevent them from drying out during extended gaps between watering or rainfall

Find a Garden Friend

If you will be away for a long time, or you just don’t want to leave your garden unattended, then having a friend or neighbour tend to your garden is a great option. Make sure it’s someone you trust, as you’ll need to leave them keys to your gardening shed for access to your garden tools and supplies. You could also hire a professional lawncare or garden expert to handle things for you. Whichever option you choose, make sure to leave a detailed list of things that need to be done and when.

Lawn Care

Your lawn will also need tending to before your trip. To start, give it a thorough watering and don’t cut it before you leave. Taller grass withstands hot conditions better. That said, if you’ll be gone more than two weeks your grass may grow tall enough to pose a security hazard. Potential intruders may identify your home as empty, and an easy target for entry. You can hire a lawncare company or lawn mowing service to handle your tasks at set intervals to keep your lawn looking lived-in.

Going out of town can present challenges to maintaining a healthy garden, but there’s no reason it should derail your harvest or impact the look of your landscaping. Proper planning, the right tools, and a little assistance can help keep your lawn and garden thriving while you’re away.