Would you love a beautiful garden but just don’t have the time? Long to grow your own produce but a busy schedule makes it impossible? Well, don’t despair. Even the busiest individuals can find the time to enjoy gardening with the right routine.
For the busy gardener, little and often is the key to success. So rather than putting jobs off until you have a full day to spare, break activities down into small tasks that you can complete in just a few minutes. This means you can check on your garden a couple of times a day and achieve a lot of care and maintenance without it impacting on your other commitments. A quick whizz around the vegetable plot once or twice a day is all it takes to keep on top of things – so even with a busy schedule, you can still enjoy your garden. Here are our tips:
Plan ahead. The types of jobs that need doing in the garden vary from month to month. Keep a diary or set reminders on your smartphone so that you know exactly what needs doing when. Then when you have a spare ten minutes, you’ll be able to jump straight in, with everything you need to complete the task.
Keep on top of pests. One of the most important jobs for any gardener, but particularly those with little time, is to check for pests. Slugs, snails, flies and other bugs can all destroy a crop in a matter of hours. The good news is, it only takes a few minutes to check for pests and, with a range of natural pest control methods available, you can put a stop to the nasties in next to no time.
Create a watering reminder. In dry weather, it’s important to keep plants well watered. Keep your watering can or hosepipe ready to go so that you can keep your garden watered in just a few minutes.
Harvest regularly. Whether it’s a morning stroll around the garden while you enjoy a cup of coffee or a quick whizz round after work, regularly check your garden when vegetables or fruits are ready to harvest.
Enlist help from family and friends. If you’re really struggling to keep on top of your garden tasks, ask family or friends if they’d like to help out. Many will love the opportunity – particularly if you promise them free produce in return.
Have your tools ready. Keep your tools and garden accessories organised and ready to use so that you don’t waste precious time when popping into the garden to complete a quick task.
Schedule in more time at weekends or holidays. Keep bigger jobs such as repairing furniture, digging, or planting a new crop for when you have a little more time to spare.
Eat outdoors. If the weather is fine, why not enjoy your meals outdoors? It will give you the opportunity to check the garden and give everything a quick water or remove weeds before you return inside.
Choose plants wisely. If you know you won’t have a lot of time to tend to your garden, choose plants that will happily look after themselves rather than those needing lots of attention.