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10-Minute Trick Might Take Dread Out Of Yard Work

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By MONICA BRANDIES, Tribune correspondent

Published: September 5, 2007

Updated: 09/01/2007 01:55 pm

Fall is coming, and most of us have neglected our yards a bit through summer. Whether you can't wait to get back out there and work or dread it, here is a way to make it easier.

Long ago, I discovered the 10-minute trick for getting things done in the garden and enjoying the process. I even made a mental list of jobs I could do in good clothes - stand-up pruning, a bit of hoeing and trimming - while I was waiting for the school bus with a child or expecting my ride to arrive.

Sometimes simply sitting on the porch and considering the view can be an important part of gardening. Brilliant ideas have to start somewhere. Ten minutes with a garden book or magazine, just looking at the pictures, can open new vistas.

There are times when working in the garden is the last thing I want to do. It's too hot, too weedy, an impossible job. One of those time inspired me to start using my 10-minute method. I had decided to work for just 10 minutes. It is amazing what just a tad of accomplishment can do for a person's self-esteem.

If you take 10 minutes to plant seeds, then you are pretty much inclined to keep them watered - even if it takes a few minutes every day for a week. There is something magical about watching seeds sprout. I'll admit I've planted seeds that never did come up for one reason or another, sometimes my neglect. I've planted others that came up but never matured, but it was worth it to see them sprout and dream for a time of what they could grow to be.

If I were not able or inclined to garden - and who knows when or whether such a time could come for the most avid of gardeners - I would visit nurseries. It is as good as visiting a park. Ten minutes in a butterfly house is better than an hour with a therapist, and much less expensive.

If I had no strength but a bit of land or a balcony, I would call and order a new citrus tree, a Poncan or Satsuma with fruit that is unbelievably delicious. I would have the nursery deliver and plant it and have my grandchildren water it and help me pick the oranges a year or so later. What else could you do with 10 minutes that would give such satisfaction, and food as well? I would have it planted where I could see and smell the blossom in March, too.

It takes less than 10 minutes to tell someone how much you enjoy passing their garden. I once told some workers at a rest stop what a good job they were doing, and one of them replied, 'No one has ever told us that before.'

My husband often has felt guilty about watching me work in the garden when it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. But the fact that he not only lets me do that when the dishes sit in the sink, but also encourages me and compliments my work, does more for my outlook and my garden than if he worked beside me and hated doing it. After all, he doesn't mind that I don't want to play golf with him. Everyone has different passions.

Gardeners, be they active or passive, have one of the most rewarding passions God has to offer. Even when we don't want to do the work, it draws us in and tricks us into enjoying it. That is the most amazing thing about this 10-minute method. First thing you know, you realize you have been working longer than you meant to. And what is more, you really don't want to quit.

Gardening really doesn't have to be an unpleasant chore.

Today's Pick

Parsley, Petroselinum crispum, is the best known and most commonly used herb and is easy to find and grow once fall is in the air. The Romans used to spread parsley and soft cheese on bread, and the Greeks fed it to chariot horses to give them stamina. You can start it from seeds, but it is much easier to buy a plant. You can cut the plant back to 2 inches above the ground, and it will regrow. Or, use the outer leaves and let the center grow. Feed the plant every three weeks and keep the soil moist. Mulch well and provide a bit of shade until the weather cools. Butterflies may lay eggs on parsley, and if you find striped caterpillars, don't worry. They will usually go into their next stage before they eat too much. If you had parsley that died during summer, don't feel bad. Mine did, too. It usually does. Just start over, and you will have it for months, at least until next summer and maybe longer.

Now's The Time To ...

Adjust your attitude. Gardening should be easy - God does it without any fuss and takes failures in stride like a child when his block tower falls.

Do the sit-down part first - read, visualize, plan.

Look around, visit other gardens, write down what you see and like.

Relax. Remember, your yard is perhaps the only place where you can do it your way.

Concentrate on important sections. Consider views.

Mix long-term chores, such as seeds and cuttings, with short term ones, such as clean-up.

Rest when you are tired. Sit a spell and reconsider views.

Upcoming Events

The Tampa African Violet Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Seminole Garden Center, 5800 Central Avenue, Tampa. The program, 'How African Violets Are Judged,' will be presented by award-winning judge and grower Christel Collier of Lakeland. Visitors are welcome.

At the recent meeting on African violets, some growers from the Tampa club decided they would like to get a sister group started in Brandon. If you are interested, come to the meeting room at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Brandon Regional Library. This first meeting will pertain to repotting plants. Bring a plant that needs it. Pots and soil will be provided. Call Rita Fitzsimmons at (813) 685-0636 if you need details or plan to attend.

Monica Brandies can be reached at monicabrandies@yahoo.com.

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