suggestions for watering while on holiday

[kiwibella]

We are off on holiday shortly and worried about our garden while we are away. We have a vegetable patch as well as a small flower garden and several pots. Do you have any tips for long term watering? Unfortunately we can't afford a sprinkler system and a holiday... but I can ask my neighbours to help out. They have two toddlers so I don't want to leave them with an onerous task.

Water butt/s collecting water from your house/shed then linked up to your pots, veg patch etc?

I'm not sure that I understand, werewolf. We have a waterbut - how do I connect it to the plants??

promise your neighbours a nice pressie. I find watering someone elses flowers soothing (and having a nose round their house)

We connect our water butt up to a series of smaller pipes, with taps on the end. Small taps. You can turn them so they drip out one drop every minute up to a continuous stream.

We use something like this watering kit

has anyone tried making a watering system using plastic drink bottles? How long does the stored water last (as in duration of feeding).

We have two hoses - one for the pots and planters on the terrace and the other hideen through the bed the length of the garden to the bottom for the veg patch. Butts at either end of the garden we use for watering cans.

When we go away, its for 2 weeks and I don't like to ask just one neighbour as it seems a bit much. I divide it between three so its less of an ask and then get them all small pressies. They also get all the veg and sweet peas they can harvest.