Watering while away checklist
Nothing here waters a garden for two weeks unattended forever — it buys enough time that the thirstiest pots survive until you or a neighbour top them up.
14 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Everything deep-watered the evening before leavingA thorough soak lasts longer than several light ones.
- Pots grouped together in shadeSlows evaporation and makes it easier for one visit to cover everything.
- Self-watering spikes or globes fitted to thirsty pots
- Capillary matting laid under greenhouse potsWicks water up from a tray for several days without attention.
- Mulch topped up on beds and containersCuts down how fast the soil dries out in the sun.
- Hanging baskets brought down or given a bigger reservoirThey dry out fastest of anything in the garden.
- Greenhouse vents left open, or an automatic opener fittedAn unattended greenhouse in a heatwave can scorch everything in it by afternoon.
- Greenhouse shading applied, in case of a heatwave
- Weeds pulled before leavingStops them setting seed while nobody's there to catch it.
- Drip irrigation or a timer set up on a tapWorth it for anything longer than a fortnight.
- Neighbour or friend asked, with instructions written downWhich pots matter most, and where the tap and the watering can are.
- Houseplants moved back from direct sun on windowsills
- Thirstiest crops prioritisedTomatoes and courgettes wilt and stop producing within days; most shrubs cope for weeks.
- A spare key left with whoever is watering
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Will my lawn be fine without watering for two weeks?
- Yes. A lawn that goes brown in dry weather is dormant, not dead, and greens up again within days of the next proper rain. It's pots and greenhouses that can't wait.
- Do self-watering spikes actually work?
- For a week or two, reasonably well, especially paired with a saucer of water beneath the pot. They're not a substitute for a neighbour on anything longer than that.
- Should I ask a neighbour or rely on equipment?
- Both if you can — equipment for the daily top-up, a neighbour for the one thing that goes wrong. A tap left dripping or a heatwave is easier for a person to notice than a timer.