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