Hello Everyone,

It is not long to the year end holidays - in fact there are people here already going away (as I suppose in many other places) so that they can be home for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year periods.

Regardless, if you are going to be away this next few weeks have you made arrangements with family neighbours and friends to help you with watering of your containers?

If there is no-one to help have you thought of other ways to solve your watering needs? Members of a garden circle or club? Does your local nursery or garden centre have a service? What about the local 'Church' group? Domestic helpers?

Of course during the winter time, plants do not need as much watering as they do in summer, so that may be helpful for many too, though the containers need to be protected wherever anyway.

Hope you can get sorted out and say cheers,

Hi there,

Is there anyone living in Australia or New Zealand or the Islands etc who is reading this? Please say hi somehow and let me know? Am also wanting to hear from you all but for this from Europe or Canada particularly. Actually, I am getting tied up in my own words now!

My question to you all is when do the holidays actually start where you live? School terms are over here in South Africa and the exams have nearly all been written if not already over bar the marking and results. Our school and Uni year starts in January which I know is different from USA.

In South Africa we have a public holiday every year on December 16th which also unofficially marks the beginning of the holiday season, all the trades people 'shut down' so I was interested in finding out if there is something similar in your neck of the woods.

Do you have extended holiday periods or do you mainly work through with a couple of days off and the week between Christmas and new Year being the short break taken?

Do tell and I say thanks

Hi There,

Whomever you get to water your plants over your holiday season - just make sure they know and check that the pots are getting enough water so that the ROOTS get it - or you may as well not water at all.

Sometimes, even though water comes out of the drainage holes and you think the plant has had enough, the soil is or may be too porous and the roots of the plant do not get enough.

Cheers and happy watering!

Hi everyone,

I came across another watering idea the other day - clay soil!

Yep, I have not tried it but will do so anyway and report back but I met a lady who 'imports' some clay soil from a farmer friend of hers. This she puts into one or two of those shellac children's play pools (or sandpits) then soaks the clay well.

Into this she 'snuggles' her bark-mulched pot plants. She says the clay slowly gives up the water and her plants survive quite happily in dappled shade; and she is happy on holiday without worrying about her plants as well. So far she has been away for up to three weeks on a hop and has suffered no loss of plants or herbs.

Have you ever heard about this 'holiday watering' method?

As soon as I can find a source of clay I am going to try and see what I see - away on holiday or not!

Anyway, if you have come across any other kind of watering tip that is new for you and good for travellers and/or away-from homers, please share it here and I say thanks. If it is new for you it could be new for other gardeners, so sharing will get the message out there and help others too.

By the way if you are asking the same questions that I did - then I will tell you that she uses water wicks for her larger containers.

Cheers now