A question on containers for next summer

Since I’ve gotten married, I now live a long-distance commuter lifestyle, so I’m often in California for a week at a time or a long weekend. That’s my other home now, with my wife spending most of her time there and me working and spending time with my kids here. So, here’s the gardening question: What works well for keeping containers watered while I’m away? Because I live in a townhouse, my garden space is primarily containers now. I want to have more garden containers this year, mostly on my deck and front porch, where they are not within reach of the automatic sprinklers. I have burdened a neighbor and another friend at times with the duty of coming over and watering for me when I’m gone, but now I’m gone so frequently that I don’t feel good asking for that much help.

Do you have any experience using automatic systems to water containers over a week or two? What systems work? I’ve seen some thing that uses a two-liter soda bottle with a special spout on it that you turn upside down and poke into the soil, but it seems that would just keep things too damp over an extended period, and roots need breaks between waterings. Maybe for my deck, I could hook up a drip line to a hose down below and put a timer valve on it. Again, any recommendations on what to do? Please post comments. Thank you!

3 thoughts on “A question on containers for next summer

  1. Thanks, Sarah. I’m glad to give you something that you love! Sharon, I have been thinking it over since I posted, and I think I know what to do. I’ll attach a drip line to the back faucet with a battery-powered timer. I’ll run that line up the wall to the deck and run the small lines off of it and into each pot. What kind of emitters do you prefer for containers? The little loop of soaker hose, the sprinkler-type sprayer, or the bubbler type that send out a little star pattern of water and can be adjusted for different flow rates? Or something else?

  2. Dear Mr. Kroes,
    I’m afraid I don’t have any answers about watering systems. But having just found your website, I am IN LOVE with it. I just had to tell you that! Thanks for making time for this!

  3. Steve, I am an advanced master gardener here in Utah. I find the best way to have a successful container garden is a drip system with a timer. I have found using the right soil is also important. We leave sometimes 10 days at a time. My garden is too big to inconvenience someone to help take care of it so nearly the whole thing is on timers. Your containers will be awesome.

    Good luck on your new adventure.

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