| It's not so easy to hand the care of | | | | spend valuable time on keeping the |
| your garden over to another person. But | | | | spinach going during your two-week |
| sometimes, you just have to do it, and | | | | vacation.Then make clear your greatest |
| you might as well make it as painless as | | | | priority, such as "This is an organic |
| possible for both of you by preparing a | | | | garden, so please use only the supplies |
| checklist, giving a brief tour, and then | | | | in my shed. No Round-up or Miracle Grow, |
| letting go of all illusions of control | | | | thank you." But in general, your |
| over what happens in your absence.Since | | | | temporary help shouldn't be asked to |
| one characteristic in common among many | | | | deal with fertilizing or pest control |
| gardeners is the enjoyment of bringing | | | | unless you're going to be gone a long |
| order out of chaos, the letting go of | | | | time, or the person owes you a really |
| all control part is the hardest, and | | | | big favor.Now, for the tour. Before you |
| perhaps the most important. So let's | | | | leave the precious vegetable or flower |
| save that for the end and start with the | | | | garden in a caretaker's hands, make a |
| easy stuff: the garden sitter checklist | | | | point of meeting with your garden sitter |
| and tour.Keep it simple. Trust your | | | | in person in the garden. Make sure she |
| garden caretaker to have some sense, and | | | | knows where things are, from watering |
| just give general instructions such as, | | | | tools to an emergency number for |
| "Thin the vegetables if they look like | | | | backup.Also, make sure she knows what |
| they need it. Weed if you're inspired. | | | | things are. Else, she might pull the joi |
| Harvest whatever is ripe and enjoy it | | | | choi, thinking it's a weed rather than |
| yourself or share it with friends. Water | | | | an Asian vegetable.And that brings us to |
| before the plants start to droop from | | | | the letting-go-of-illusions-of-control |
| thirst."Then you can go beyond the | | | | part of the deal. If she does mistakenly |
| general to a few - read, very few - | | | | pull the joi choi, oh well. Unless the |
| specific requests. If your checklist | | | | garden is burnt to a crisp or mowed |
| gets too detailed, the caretaker will be | | | | down, just be grateful that someone was |
| overwhelmed, so choose your special | | | | there to care for it as best she could. |
| situations carefully. After all, the | | | | Who knows? She might even have done some |
| garden is your labor of love, not hers. | | | | things differently and better than you |
| She's just doing maintenance.For | | | | would have. Then you've got some new |
| example, let's say you have a new | | | | tricks up your sleeve.Expect miracles, |
| asparagus trench that is gradually being | | | | and do your best to enjoy whatever it |
| filled in as the shoots grow. If you | | | | was that temporarily took you away from |
| have a pile of topsoil mixed with manure | | | | your garden.Life-time gardener Judith |
| on hand for the interim gardener to use | | | | Schwader specializes in organic |
| as needed to cover the new asparagus, | | | | gardening methods. She shares expertise, |
| then ask her to help sustain this | | | | humor, and advice for your gardening |
| long-term crop.But if you have a patch | | | | success at A to Z Gardening. Also visit |
| of spinach that is bolting, don't ask | | | | FB Home for additional home and garden |
| her to keep pinching off the blossoms | | | | information. |
| unless you really really want her to | | | | |