The Urban Patch

It’s that time of year. The car is packed, the surfboard is strapped to the roof, and you’re ready to trade the Sydney Road traffic for the Great Ocean Road. But as you’re locking the front door, you look back at your pots. It’s forecast to be 34 degrees on Sunday.

If you don’t have a neighbour you trust with your spare key (or your prize tomatoes), the “holiday anxiety” is real. But don’t cancel the AirBnB just yet! With a bit of prep, your patch can survive a 7-day vacation without turning into a crisp.

🕒 The 24-Hour Countdown (Pre-Trip Prep)

The day before you leave is the “prep or die” zone.

• The Deep Soak: Don’t just give them a splash. Give every pot a “soaker” watering until the water runs freely out of the bottom. We want the root balls saturated.
• The Great Huddle: Move every single pot into the shadiest corner of your courtyard or balcony. Even “full sun” plants will be much happier in the shade for a few days if it means they don’t dry out. Grouping them together also creates a little humid micro-climate (safety in numbers, people!).
• Mulch Like You Mean It: If you haven’t mulched yet, now is the time. A thick 2-inch layer of straw acts like a lid on a jar, keeping that moisture where it belongs.

🛠️ The “Low-Fi” Irrigation Hacks

If you’re going for more than a couple of days, you need a backup. No fancy timers required:

The Inverted Wine Bottle: Finally, a use for that empty gin bottle you’ve been hoarding for years because it “looked pretty”! Fill it with water, put your thumb over the top, and flip it quickly, jamming the neck deep into the soil of your thirstiest pot. It’ll “glug” water out slowly as the soil dries.

The Cotton Wick Method: Place a large bucket of water on a chair, and put your smaller pots on the floor around it. Run a piece of cotton rope or a strip of old towel from the bucket down into the soil of each pot. Physics will literally “suck” the water down the rope into the plant. It’s genius, and it’s free.

🛑 The “Avoid” List (Don’t Do This!)

• Don’t Fertilise: Feeding your plants encourages them to grow. Growth requires energy and water. We want our plants in “hibernation mode” while we’re away.
• Don’t Prune: Cutting back leaves creates “wounds” that lose moisture. Save the tidy-up for when you get back.

🏡 The Homecoming (What to do when you’re back)

When you roll back into the driveway, your first stop isn’t the couch – it’s the patch. Even if they look a bit wilted and dramatic (I’m looking at you, eggplants), most plants can be revived.

• The Triage: Dunk small pots directly into a bucket of water for 10 minutes to rehydrate the soil properly. Or if you’ve planted directly in the garden, just give ’em a long soak.
• The Assessment: If you lost a few leaves, snip them off once the plant has had a drink.

Heading away this holiday season? Which DIY watering hack are you putting to the test? Let me know!