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Whenever Joe and I have a chance to go away, which is treasured and seldom, we have our pre-vacation checklist down to a tee.  House sitter, check.  Dog walker, check.  Plant sitter, check.  Yes!  Be sure not to forget your garden and plant family care while you are away too. 

The greatest luxury would be a neighbor that you can show how to take care of your indoor plants and gardens.  If you are fortunate to have this – or even a friend who is willing to help you while you are away – be sure to take the time to review your garden and plants with them.  Like children, your plants have their own wants, needs and temperaments.  The more information you can share with your “sitter” the better.  And be sure to go over the basic gardening rules, even if you think it’s a “no brainer.”  I was able to find a kid in my neighborhood in need of some summer cash who was eager to help while I was away.  What was to simply be a “sitter” for my few days away became something much more – a young person who found a love of horticulture and gardening.  I spent time with my young friend days before our trip, showing him my daily routine of garden care – watering, weeding as necessary, what to do based on weather conditions and harvesting so he became familiar with the care for each plant and their “personalities.”   When I returned, my plants and garden were happy and healthy and my sitter had a wonderful hands-on learning experience, one that I know he will take with him wherever he goes.  Here’s to another future gardener!!

You can also purchase self-watering objects such as watering globes and stakes, but it’s very simple to make your own too.   

I like the look of wine bottle watering system; I have them throughout my garden at the farm.  I use wine bottles that have the metal twist caps – not cork stoppers.  Rinse the bottle with soap and water.  You can either drill a hole or two into the cap, or hammer a nail in the cap to make a hole.  After you fill the bottle with water, place it the bottle cap end down into about an inch of soil at the base of your plant.  I think that this type of “watering” is more effective than a sprinkler or hose as the water is going directly to the root system, not pouring from the top of the plant downward.  Depending on what type of plant you are watering – tomato, fern, lettuce – you should monitor how much water it drinks initially to get yourself on a re-fill schedule.

It just tickles me to think that I can turn wine into watering systems.  Now if I could only turn water into wine!!!

- Barbara