Seeds which will be OK if I'm away for a month.

Rayray1000

Hi all,
I'm a longtime user but just in case anyone knows who I am, and where I live, I'm posting under a new name.

I will be away from end of July until almost end of August, with only a couple of days home in the middle.
I'm in the south east and won't have anyone able to access my garden to water anything.

I'd love to get some more seeds in (all of the veg seed packets say to sow every few weeks) but I'm not sure what would survive for 2 weeks without watering.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

unrecordings

Maybe look at some capilliary matting ?
https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-5-pack-capillary-matting/p/0447671

Though personally I'd wait until I got back for the sort of stuff it sounds like you might be sowing (salady stuff maybe) - for me it wouldn't be worth the hassle

Rayray1000

Is it worth doing anything like peas or beans? I sowed loads and while my beans have all germinated, only one pea has appeared.

unrecordings

Sorry, just re-read your post. For some reason I read/assumed seedlings indoors (I'm blaming the steroids as usual). Peas & beans outdoors - I'd leave it in the lap of the gods. Maybe give them a good soak before you go depending on the long forecast, and prep some supports to cater for the month's growth while you're gone

theoretica

I would expect most established plants to be fine unless there is a complete heatwave and dry spell - and if you lose some seeds it isn't a great loss. Cabbages, carrots, potatoes... anything farmers grow in open fields.

Rayray1000

Thank you for the advice.
I was thinking of outdoors. I suppose actually that if I sowed seeds just before I went for the first two weeks that they would probably just be peeking their wee heads up by the time I came back.
That may be better than sowing them now and having them neglected in the hottest time.
Good idea about farmers' fields too. Every time I water my garden I think about how my granda never watered his spuds. Mind you, in Norn Iron it rains almost every day so that would be why!

-taff

You can sow beans, squash and pumpkn, beetroot, kohlrabi next month, leeks, parsnips, kale [ net it to keep away butterflies], carrots etc. anything you can put in the ground that doesn't need constant picking.

Linda32

Everything growing will be established by then, are there any particular seeds you are planning to sow outdoors in august?

Rayray1000

Thanks Taff. Will go with that type of thing.
Linda- there wasn't anything in particular i was wanting to do. I just have some things like sweetcorn, that say to sow outdoors in May. I just wondered if it would be a waste of time.

Rayray1000

Thanks Taff.
Linda , there wasn't anything in particular I wanted to plant in August. I just have things like sweetcorn that say to sow outdoors in May. I didn't want to waste them.

andrewf75

This is a bit confusing. Seedlings need watering a lot, but if you sow stuff now they will be established plants by August and as long as it rains while you’re away, most stuff should be fine.

I wouldn’t sow seeds just before you go, but then there isn’t much you sow at that time anyway.