Time Consuming Garden Task that can be avoided
Work smarter not harder
- an inefficient or unproductive activity, process, etc.; a waste of time.
Today I am pointing the finger at myself. Yep, I am guilty of these three gardening infractions. Let me begin by saying I am no spring chicken. I am a child of the '60s My ever-expanding garden can be changeling at times mostly due to the hotter summers so every now and then I take shortcuts or put things off. Now that I have offered up my excuses let's get on with the list.
1. Weeding
This is my potato bed but if you look closely you will see morning glories (I can't seem to get rid of ) and a few other random weeds that need to go. For those of you who are not aware weeds and various unwanted foliage not only take up space in your garden they also rob your vegetables of valuable nutrients and sometimes even sunlight. The more you put it off the harder it will be when you finally get around to it. Maybe you can get your kids to help.
2. Planning ahead
It's July and most of my planting is done for now but I did not have enough soil to transfer my Ghost peppers above so the 2 plants in the green pot have to share. This is a no-no because these pots are only large enough for one full-grown plant. Now, at some point, I have to re-pot the same plant again which means double work and an extra trip to Walmart. If I don't they will become rootbound.
3. Over Planting
When I was a novice gardener I lacked confidence in my growing abilities so I overcompensated by planting a couple extra seeds in the same soil. That was years ago but old habits die hard. Even though my gardening skills have improved over the years to this day I still plant more seeds than necessary. So I have two choices, thin out the starters or let them go wild both take time.
The photo above is my raised crate jungle. The entire left side consists of bush beans both green and purple. The entire right side is tomato plants and some lemon basil. All of the beans, tomatoes, and basil are growing in milk crates. In the center, I am using bins to grow cucumbers, yellow watermelons, red melons, and potatoes but not all in the same bins. Everything looks great BUT now I have to pay very close attention to this area of my garden because it requires more of everything, more water, more nutrients, more protection from deer (who have been eating my beans), and weeding. I also have to keep an eye out for blight or other diseases. I added a drip hose last year because of the scorching temperatures. On the plus side, harvest days will be amazing.
The Frugal Gardener is on Youtube
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