I think the only thing you can do is set up a video conference, and see for yourself how the vegetables are fairing. "Face time", I think its called in conference speak.

I just got back from two weeks in Michigan. During that trip, my garden was constantly in the back of my mind, and I fretted more and more as it closer to time to come home. I have everything on drippers so nobody has to water, but one of the people looking after the chickens noticed that the drip system wasn't working. It turned out the person looking after the cats had turned it off. Fortunately the first person turned it back on.
I was amazed at how big everything got while I was away. We had nothing but beans and peas for supper last night. And the chickens are enjoying all the overripe summer squash I found.

Yes! It happens to everyone! I usually leave for only 2 or 3 days at a time, and everytime I can't wait to get back to see how everything's doing. If it's daylight when I get home I usually come in the front door and go straight out the back door with my uniform still on to check up on my "children." It's definitely an addiction, but what a GREAT addiciton. I can't believe how things change in just a couple days--I bet you'll be amazed after having been gone for a couple weeks.

Hurry back! It's hot here but at least it's not humid, and your babies are waiting for you.

Skybird

I had a strange thought the other day, Charlene - what if I really retired and got a 2nd home in Australia?!? I could garden 12 months out of the year!

While this thought has appeal to me in July, it would be remarkable if I still feel this way in November. As soon as it's too cold to go outdoors, all I'm really interested in is eating, eating, eating. By Thanksgiving afternoon, I am nearly incapable of leaving the table. (Of course, our garden makes a HUGE contribution to the meal :o) I think this problem is part of my garden withdrawal symptoms.

IÂd not miss the cold Winter one bit but a complication would be getting plants started in March and then again in September. I'd need to be in 2 places at once . . . and when would I have time for all that eating??

Steve

Thanks for all the encouragement! So I am crazy but right along with all of you over our gardens. Skybird you're right what a great addiction!

And guess what, my husband is actually really getting into the gardening thing. He calls me every night while checking up on the garden and watering to tell me how big everything is in amazement. He even picked a bunch of veggies and took a cell phone picture and sent to me. He makes sure to let the dog out early in the morning and evening to chase away the bunnies and deer. When he saw that the birds had eaten almost all the raspberries, he had that sound in his voice that gardeners get when they are bothered by pests or plant disease.

This trip may have been good in more ways than one. I guess he normally associates gardening with all the back breaking work he helps me with at the beginning of each season.

My son and I are on our way home from California and spent last night in Santa Fe. Getting ready to head down to High Country Gardens/Santa Fe Greenhouses to tour their 5 acres of xeriscape gardens. They have demonstration gardens of all the preplanned gardens (some designed by Lauren Springer) that you can purchase online or through their catalog.

Steve, Australia sounds incredible. I'm sure you could find a way to do both places at once!

Oh my goodness, this even happens to me during the day at work, but was at a management retreat last week and almost went crazy. Especially since the heat had been so overwhelming. Luckily we got a little rain while I was gone!

Had the chance to spend 2 weeks in New Zealand during the US winter a year ago. What a balm to the gardener's spirit to see all that green when home is brown and snowy!

I am envious of all of you. We moved at the end of March and still have nothing but dirt for a yard! I don't grow a lot of vegetables, but I love my perennials, and have been in withdrawals all summer. Fortunately, I have a new born to keep me busy until the landscape company finishes their part of the work (sprinklers, fence, and sod).

My garden did survive my absence much better than I survived the absence from it. Lots of weeds to pull though.

highalttransplant--I know what you mean as we just moved in last August (Castle Rock). Our home was built in 1972 and is surrounded by 70's landscaping: Junipers everywhere, siberian elm trees, & lawn-lots of it. No gardening can be done until the overgrown junipers are ripped out and a lot of the lawn dies. So I put my vegetable garden in immediately this past spring to be able to dig my hands in.

Congratulations on your newborn! That ought to keep you plenty busy until next year!

Charlene

How ironic! We just moved FROM Castle Rock, to Silt, which is a tiny town west of Glenwood springs. The elevation is pretty much the same, but the temperatures are a little more extreme, and we get less precipitation. I have been window shopping online catalogs for weeks, and am getting really frustrated with this landscaper, as I am afraid the whole planting season is going to pass before I have any beds to plant anything in!!!

Charlene,

That's how I felt leaving my gardens I planted in So Cal when we moved here! I, of course, missed my family, but I was heartbroken leaving those gardens. I propagated most everything - mimosa, curly willows trees, roses, etc. Then, when we moved here, we moved into a house with a lease option to purchase. So besides keeping the yards cleaned up, I really didn't want to do anything since we hadn't bought the place. Boy am I glad we didn't! When our lease was about up and we were ready to purchase, we found out the house was in foreclosure! At the same time, I ended up in the hospital, having emergency surgery (part of my large intestine removed). We spent the whole Summer looking for a buying a house, and me recovering from that surgery. NOW that we are in our place, I have begun to garden again. Now I have my two passions again -- my horses and my gardening!

With winter on our doorstep -- good thing I love to snowboard LOL!!

twhgardener,

Sorry about your surgery but glad to hear you're recovering and in your new house :)

It was hard to leave my gardens in Calif. too. We were in old Tustin on about 1/4 acre with very little lawn. I planted tons of fruit trees and babied the existing landscape that was already there including some mature citrus and 50 roses in the front yard that original owners had planted years ago and the people we bought from didn't take good care of them. I don't miss caring for those though, as beautiful as they were! The people that bought the house from us are not gardeners and when I drove by the house this summer when I was there, they had ripped out all the fruit trees I planted in the front yard (pomegranate, persimmons, apples & a fig) and all those roses! To each his own and if they found it hard to care for all of that then it's probably better; I just hope they gave the trees & plants to someone! We really love it here and it's nice to be in Colorado near all my family and cousins for my son.

Happy Gardening!
Charlene

When we moved out to Colorado six years ago, we came from the Mid-South, and I really missed the trees at first(especially the Dogwoods in the spring). Our yard was more shady than sunny there, and I was always looking for things that would bloom in the shade. Here, consider yourself lucky if your yard HAS any shade! Now that I have been gardening here a while, I have come to appreciate the many perennials that not only survive, but thrive, in the harsh conditions here. The late spring snows do make it hard to have much of a spring display though.