October is always my outdoor harvesting month, I am a few provinces west of you. I usually try to have them in the ground by May long or just after and I have never ran past october. As for leaving them unattended for a week or two, depends on the weather. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it don't. If it looks like it's going to be dry out you can always give them a bit of extra water before you go, and on the flip side if it looks like it is going to be rainy, don't water them. I have left plants alone for a week or two on more than one occasion and have never had any problems.