Watering during vacation (Charlotte: how much, neighborhood, garden)

[etienneNC]

Hello. I am a newcomer here, in Charlotte and in USA (both great locations!). I would like to know how it's working there regarding the watering issues during vacation time? Is everybody has a garden which can stay 10 days without water? Or is everybody have automatic sprinklers? I want to know if it's possible to pay somebody for 1 hour of watering every 2 days. Thanks a lot for your answers.

[coastalgirl]

They have timers you can buy, but I'm not sure how sophisticated they are. They might just water a certain time every day rather than being able to program the day. I have a neighbor who works in Atlanta and she pays me to water her yard M-F. I don't know how much most people would charge, but since I was willing to do it for free, when she offered to pay I accepted only $10 a week.

I would like to add that an hour of watering every two days is A LOT of water. Your grass should only get (and need) about an inch a week. If you water too often the roots grow shallow and the grass isn't healthy.

[bajanqueen]

Now with summer vacation the OP can probably get a neighborhood kid to do it for cheap. Of course have the hose and the sprinklers to attach to it and voila!

[wevie]

the op was talking about a garden and not the yard the way I understand it. I wonder the same thing. Where I am coming from, it's no where near as hot and plants can go days without water. Would one need to water veggie plants every day there if it doesn't rain? I do plant a garden and while I will not be able to plant a garden, I still plan to plant a few veggie plants still yet.

[bajanqueen]

Yard or garden, they could probably ask a neighborhood kid to do it if they are really concern about it when they are gone.

[etienneNC]

Thanks a lot, everybody, for your nice advice. Yes, I am really concern about my yard (flowers + tomatoes, to be more specific!), but I think you are right. The best way is to ask somebody in the neibourgh. Thanks again.