Authored by Michelle Whyte
It can almost seem like gardeners, and their garden, are partners for life. Which can become a problem if your second passion is travel, after-all, who would water the plants, feed them with necessary nutrients, and make sure they are doing alright in your absence?
Unlike other activities like business or construction, where you can easily take a break, gardening is much like childcare. Your plants need the necessary attention and nurturing to get the best out of them.
But can frequent travelers run a successful garden? The answer is absolutely!
We have put together some tips for those who have a passion for their garden as well as frequent travel, so you’re able to succeed at them both.
Gardening Advice for Frequent Travelers
Enlist Someone to do it on Your Behalf
The adage, ‘if you want something done right, do it yourself,’ does not apply in certain situations, especially for travelers. You will eventually need to entrust someone with your precious garden, one way or another.
Leave instructions, preferably written, on the watering schedules, feeding, pruning, and harvesting, but make sure they are people you can trust. Mostly, make sure to promise them a kind of remuneration or reward as motivation.
If you have the budget, you can also hire the services of a professional to care for the garden while away. This is a good opportunity to have professionals tackle any big jobs you’ve been putting off, and get them done while you’re out of the house, ie tree removal through thelocaltreeexperts.com.
You can agree to tie their payment to the success of the garden though which might be a clever approach.
Partnership
If you are never around, you can enter into a partnership with other gardeners, where you can share responsibilities, and pick the most convenient for you, as a frequent traveler.
You can always agree on everything including a share of the profits, depending on individual input.
Consider Convenient Gardening Systems
There are also convenient systems you can employ to help you with the gardening tasks, that you can set and forget, having them work on timers while you’re away.
For example, there are now innovative sprinklers with timers. You can program them to water your plants sufficiently at certain times of the day, and it’s all automatic.
You can also invest in robot-mowers, which don’t need your intervention to work. Robo-mowers cut the grass, and go to the charging station for recharging and docking.
Mulching
Before you set off, you can apply organic mulch around the plants and water generously. The mulch will prevent water loss through evaporation for a few days.
And if you have access to worm cast or compost, the better. Worm cast serves as a mulch, provides the necessary plant food and minerals, and is a good source of beneficial microbes.
Other added benefits include clearing the soil of toxic elements, soil amendment, and moisture retention.
Potted Plants
Potted plants like the prayer plant are the most likely to suffer when you are away for a few days. Make sure to move them to shade, and soak them well in water.
You can then place the holding container in a plastic kiddie full of water, and which should keep the plants from getting too thirsty.
Traveling can be a challenge for gardeners, but that does not mean you should not travel or go on vacation. There are always convenient ways of making sure that your plants get the necessary water and nutrients.
Regardless, it is always better to have someone check on the plants from time to time, and you can have a peace of mind.
Resources
➤ Having someone house-sit for you is a great way to make sure your plants and garden are maintained while you’re away. Visit Trustedhousesitters.com to find a housesitter.
➤ If you prefer indoor gardening IndoorPlants.Info is a great resource.
➤ If you’re bringing seeds or plants back into the country from abroad, be sure to thoroughly read the restrictions from border security – www.abf.gov.au is the website for Australia.
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18 Comments
Great tips! I share the garden with my sister! And always wonder how to manage this when both of us will be on vacation!
So glad you enjoyed the post Fernanda, hope the tips help!
Omg every time I go away my plants die :( I must do this!!
Oh no! Hopefully these tips were helpful for your next trip :)
Helpful advice as we often spend a lot of time away.
I’m glad Sharon! Happy travels :)
We try to tidy everything up before we head out on a trip too, like pulling up weeds and clearing out dead leaves, giving pests a dose of insecticidal soap spray. Healthy plants are better able to tolerate a few days of stress.
Great advice Mary, especially as you said if you’re only heading away for a couple of days. Short trips definitely make the balance easier to maintain :)
If you’re traveling long term by RV you can take your garden with you. We have a selection of potted plants as gardening was a great pleasure when we were not on the road.
Sounds like a great compromise in combining your two passions Alenna!
I’ve gotten to the stage where I’m happy to pay someone to take care of our plants, as I’ve often left this to family and friends and have come back to find everything dead!!
:( That’s so annoying! Yes it saves a lot of hassle when you know that they’re being taken care of professionally.
If you know in advance when you’ll be travelling and for how long, for instance some people go away at the same time every year, you can always plan your garden around that, choosing bulbs that are appropriate for growing during that time, watering needs etc. Or go with low maintenance plants.
Great tip Flavia, such a great idea to plan out your garden with seasonal bulbs and organize travel in the second part of the year :)
Good tips. Advice is equally as good for my vegetable garden.
Glad the post was helpful Cathi. Happy travels! :)
It’s not easy, but you can do it. We grow our own veggies.
Fabulous Monika! Sounds like you’re doing well achieving the balance :)