At Home: Vacation Checklist for Your Garden

Home Tips & Tricks

  • Plan it Out. Spend a bit of time thinking about what needs to be done prior to your vacation. Do you have a veggie garden? If so, try organizing your trip around your spring crop harvest, and planting your fall vegetables.


  • Gather them up. Pull your potted plants into a shaded corner of your garden and/or home. Doing this will make it much easier for the person who is caring for your garden, and also prevent your plants from drying out in the sun.

  • Pull them up. Be sure to deal with weeds before you go away, so that they don’t take over while you’re gone. Hiring a lawn service – like Green Drop – is another way to help battle weeds, and keep your grass lush and green.

  • Reap the Harvest. Try to pull your spring herbs and veggies before leaving on your trip. Use your harvest in salads, freeze and/or dry herbs and give away anything you don’t have time to use.


  • Mulch Your Beds. Add some grass clippings or mulch to your beds and bushes to help control weeds and lock in moisture – but – avoid fertilizing your plants as it actually can encourage weeds to grow.

  • Let it Grow. Hold off on mowing your lawn before leaving on your vacation. Longer grass does much better in hot conditions – just work on getting it healthy before you leave and then give it a good soak.

  • Unplug It. Clear those gutters, so if a flash summer storm hits the rainwater will flow away from your home and not damage your roof, exterior walls, foundation or landscaping.


Happy gardening and bon voyage!


-by Mhairri Woodhall