There’s nothing like getting away for a few days for a relaxing summer vacation. But gardeners going away need to plan ahead to deal with ripening vegetables and growing weeds back home that don’t take any time off.
We talked to Caleb Goossen, crop and conservation specialist with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, who shared some tips for keeping your garden going even when you are not around.
“The first thing you want to do is look at the forecast for when you are going to be gone,” Goossen said. “Are you seeing it’s going to be cold? Hot? Rainy? Dry?”
Once you know what’s coming, the better you can prepare your garden.
Plants don’t water themselves: If conditions are going to be dry when you are gone, Goossen suggested setting up some sort of automatic watering system. Those can be as simple as installing a timer on a sprinkler or drip hose. For more control over watering, you can install automatic watering systems that react to moisture levels in the soil and only water when necessary.
Mulching around plants can help the area around them stay moist and protect soil from direct sunlight that can heat it up to levels harmful for the plants. It also helps with weed control.
“You want to set us something to make sure water gets to your plants,” Goossen said. “That is really the most critical thing you should do if you are leaving.”
Too much of a good thing: Gardeners around the state have spent much of this spring and summer dealing with non-stop rain and wet conditions in June and July. If that trend continues, you are going to need to make sure there is adequate drainage in your garden. Creating ways to draw surface water away from plants will help prevent root rot. You can dig ditches to draw surface water away or bury perforated pipes several inches under the soil to drain water away from your plants.
Aggressive weeding: Keeping your garden weed-free allows your plants to grow without competing for water, nutrients and sunlight. Before you head out, take time to pull every weed possible from your garden. While it won’t stop more from growing while you are gone, it should slow them down.
“Prioritize the larger weeds and the ones that look like they are going to seed,” Goossen said. “That will keep them dropping viable weed seeds in the garden and making even more weeds.”
Harvest management: It’s not always possible to time vacations around when different vegetables or flowers reach peak ripeness. It may mean some things could go by in your absence, so you want to take advantage of anything you can.
“Try to do a really aggressive harvest before leaving,” Goossen said. “Just enjoy what is available or try to preserve it.”
Using some of that harvest in recipes that can be frozen is another way to use what you can while you can.
“Something cooked and then refrigerated or put in the freezer will keep better than if it was left out in the garden,” Goossen said.
Tomatoes can be picked before fully ripe and stored in a cooler spot to slow down the ripening process.
Know what needs to be picked: The good news is that not everything approaching ripeness will need to be dealt with prior to leaving. Certain vegetables actually get better the longer they stay out in the garden.
For instance, peppers, carrots and beets can be left to grow beyond the time frame indicated on seed packets — assuming pests or disease don’t get to them.
But other vegetables won’t be good after that point of perfect ripeness, Goossen said. Things like cucumbers, squash and zucchini should be picked as soon as they are ripe.
That said, there is hope for overripe zucchini, at least.
“Look up recipes for marrow,” Gosseen said. “That’s what you call a zucchini when it gets really big.”
The skins of a marrow squash are going to be tough and the flesh mild, but that makes them perfect for using stuffed zucchini or other squash recipes.
Get help: This is the best scenario for a vacationing gardener: Find someone to help. A family member, neighbor, friend or hired person can come in and take care of all gardening chores while you are gone. Just be sure to leave clear instructions and a schedule on what needs to be done. Whether they volunteer or get paid for this, it will ensure your garden is optimized while you are gone.
If no one wants to tend your garden, you can also open it up for harvest so ripening vegetables don’t go to waste.
