Preparing plants before gardeners go on holiday

Alison Patel writes: Brits looking to escape to the Tuscan sun are "mad" as they will be missing out on their gardens.

That is the view of Jane Owen, writing for the Times, who has suggested that gardeners should be enjoying the fruits of their labour and the vegetables of their gardens.

For those that have opted to fly to sunnier climes for a well-earned break, she has the following advice.

Green-fingered friends or neighbours should be called upon to help pick flowers and produce such as carrots, beans and courgettes so that they "don't go to waste".

Ms Owen suggests blackmailing (or perhaps bribing) a friend to water the garden and she advises that plants in containers and house plants should be left in the shade.

"Irrigation mats, control valves to convert water bottles into mini-irrigation systems and mini, low-cost automatic watering systems" are worth purchasing from an online gardening centre, she says.

And the expert also advises adding a thick layer of mulch to containers and vulnerable plants, adding that gardeners would be wise to harvest as many flowers and crops as they can.

Lastly, Ms Owen says it is vital to open all ventilation in greenhouses and damp it right down just before leaving.

Related Stories

Benefits of mulching noted

Benefits of corn and pepper growing highlighted

Woman grows bananas in her back garden

The UK's best plant societies

Eco-garden could help fight disease