Summer vacations

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     Summer vacations are hard for me.  I love to travel and I also love taking my nieces and nephews with me for fun vacations, but I am sometimes torn between vacation and the garden.  A week away from the garden can be a long time, and a lot can happen.  I always wonder what I will miss.  There are some flowers whose blooms come only once and may last only a few days.  I fear I will miss such a bloom and will lament that I must wait another year to enjoy that particular bud.   Plants will continue growing, and that includes the weeds as well as the desirable plants.  I can almost talk myself out of going on vacation.

     However, there are some things that one may do to ensure the garden is still in good shape when you get back.  You do not have to hire professional gardeners to take care of your garden while you are gone.

     You cannot count on the weather to supply the needed moisture at the right times, but perhaps there is a friend or relative who might be willing to make sure things get watered.  Make that job as easy as possible.  While you may have pots and planters scattered around the garden, cluster them together before you leave.  That helps the plants retain moisture better and also makes it easier for your friend to get the job done.  I have many of the houseplants that are outside for the summer clustered around a small fountain.  The splash from the fountain will water those plants, so one need only to turn on the fountain to get that cluster of pots watered.  Of course, one could equip the landscape with a watering system.  With the technology available, one may have a system that can assess the need for water and water only when needed.  A cheaper method is using timers, but they would water even if there is rain.  Realistically, most of us still have to depend on a friend.

     Unfortunately, even with the technology available today, there is no automatic weed puller.  However, there are some steps that will help keep the garden from being over-run with weeds during your absence.  The first step is to get things in shape before your vacation time.  Once the old weeds are out, weed preventative may be spread around the beds.  Some of these products are chemical, but organic weed preventers use corn gluten to keep weed seeds from germinating.  These preventers may only be used in beds where you do not plan to plant seeds later, as the products cannot tell the difference between weed seeds and desirable plant seeds.  Mulch is also your friend.   In the vegetable garden, one may use organic materials such as shredded paper, straw, or leaf mold.  In decorative areas, most people opt to use shredded bark or pine straw.  It becomes more effective if one uses a layer of cardboard or newspaper before applying the more decorative mulch.  I discourage the use of landscape cloth unless you plan to use stone for mulch and have no plans to plant in the area in the future.  To keep the area looking good, it will be necessary to use chemical controls to keep weeds from growing into the landscape fabric.

,     You will still come home to a yard that needs to be cut, but, with some planning, you can take a vacation during the summer.  I am getting ready to go myself, but I will not get everything done before leaving.  Oh well, the vacation is worth the imperfect garden..