Suggestions on watering outdoors while away from garden.

What would be a good way to make sure my soil doesn't dry out too much, during the hot summers, if I have to be away for more than three days at a time? This is the main problem with where I chose to grow, I can only check on my plants once every three days. Is it even possible to grow outdoors while only checking on plants once every three or four days?

Soil moist

Water crystals, vermiculite, cover the soil, plant in ground, use wetting agent in soil mix.
I use all these to help get me through long hot summer days.
edit.as im having to water every 48hrs at the moment maybe not best to listen to me but in my defence theres zero rain, record temps and my plants got more rootbound quicker and bigger then i thought they would.
Good luck.

Ive grown a plant this year that may yield anywhere between 4-8 ounces and i can only get to it once every 7 days at the very most
Gd soil,wetting granules and perlite mixed in and sugar cane mulch on top.
All on 20 litres of water once a week

Awesome! Thanks for some quick responses! Covering the soil on really hot days may help along with a healthy mix of perlite and vermiculite to make sure the soil doesn't get too soggy or hot and rot my roots. Also I will try to plant near a partly shaded area to keep heat down. Temperatures range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees in the summer. Hopefully I can make it work.

Last question, would it be better to keep my pots above ground or in ground? If its going to be a hot summer, I figured if I keep it above ground, it would receive more airflow and buildup less heat.

I prefer to dig a hole for my pots in the ground due to it being cooler without the sun shining on the pot.
Also when they grow big they can get top heavy and pots in the ground I find give more support, and if it gets gusty winds that can push your plant over.
There's negatives about it to though.
Try both and see what works best for you.

Growing in the ground is the best single thing you can do to improve water retention. I also use lava rocks in my soil mix for water retention. Also pile up a good thick mat of leaves or grass clippings around your plants. It will cool the ground and help keep your moisture.

Some of my plants will only get water when they are transplanted. I have about 70 holes dug, so I'm growing Darwin patches this year. Survival of the fittest. But then I'm looking for hardy stock to breed. If I have some that will thrive on neglect, those will be getting pollen chucked on them.

Larry {the} Gardener said:

Growing in the ground is the best single thing you can do to improve water retention. I also use lava rocks in my soil mix for water retention. Also pile up a good thick mat of leaves or grass clippings around your plants. It will cool the ground and help keep your moisture.

Some of my plants will only get water when they are transplanted. I have about 70 holes dug, so I'm growing Darwin patches this year. Survival of the fittest. But then I'm looking for hardy stock to breed. If I have some that will thrive on neglect, those will be getting pollen chucked on them.

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Do you put your plants in pots dug into the ground or simple dig a hole and fill with soil? (with or without pots)

mean.green said:

Do you put your plants in pots dug into the ground or simple dig a hole and fill with soil? (with or without pots)

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When I grew out doors, I planted directly into the ground no pots. I dug out a hole, put in my soil mix and planted my seed. Texas has some harsh summers, I found giving them a good soak at night, and a light watering in the morning helped. Being gone for a few day though, I'd run with the suggestion of covering the soil with something to keep it from drying out so fast.

mean.green said:

Do you put your plants in pots dug into the ground or simple dig a hole and fill with soil? (with or without pots)

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I go right into the ground, no pots once they are transplanted. Some of my patches are really long walks, so they are just bulk fertilizer, time release plant food, lime and Epson salts. Others are closer, and get 5 or 10 gallons of soil mix in a 80 gallon hole.

Thanks Larry {the} Gardener and Dgthumb (again) for the advice. I will plant without containers at least 60 gallons deep.

mean.green said:

Thanks Larry {the} Gardener and Dgthumb (again) for the advice. I will plant without containers at least 60 gallons deep.

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You can calculate gallons in a cylinder by 3.14 X radius squared {in inches} X depth / 231. My 83.5 gallon holes are 32 inches across and 24 inches deep. Wider is more important than deep.