For hire or food, garden sitters save the day during summer

NEW YORK (AP) — Home gardening has been on a tear during the pandemic, and now it’s harvest time in many places. It’s also vacation season. How do you maintain a garden and what do you do with your hard-won vegetables and flowers during extended trips away? Some home gardeners hire professional sitters. Others rely on neighbors and hope for the best. The New York Botanical Garden’s Adam Choper suggests designating one trusted person to avoid a free-for-all in your garden. There also are steps you can take to help protect your plants while you’re gone from water loss and competition from weeds.