The Question

“How do I stay active gardening?” Is the question I have been, to varying degrees, trying to answer. Put another way, “How do I spend less time and physical effort while gardening?”

You are in the Right Place

If you are here, I imagine that’s a question you would like answered. There are reasons for such a question. It could be you are a newbie who started off enthusiastically but is not confident about getting it right.  Or you may simply be short on time or (like me) have some sort of physical limitation.

Understand Your Needs

I know from experience that it’s important to understand your needs, and plan and streamline the chores.

If that’s you, join me on the journey as I try to find tools, tips and techniques to make our gardening activities easier.

On The Mend

Today, I’ve been rediscovering my garden. I haven’t felt well enough to be in the garden from January through March. A garden left unattended for 2 months, well, needless to say, looks a little disheveled. In my case, leaves have piled up and plants have died.

Explore with me as I try to pull it back together and for a hint, I’ll use some of the tips, tools and techniques from the article, Recovering Your Home Garden After a Natural Disaster. On this occasion, though, I think I’ll follow the advice of getting some help since I know I’m still not physically feeling up to muster.

Can a Garden Survive with Less Input

How can I prevent this from happening in the future?

How can I help my garden survive without my input for longer spells?

I have been a full-time employee and a part-time student while contributing to the care of elders along with managing my own home and trying to maintain both ornamental and kitchen gardens. Trust me, I know it can be a lot. The garden I started off with is certainly not the garden I have today.

Reshaping a Garden

Over the past twenty years of maintaining my home garden with declining mobility and balance issues, I’ve been forced to reshape it. For one thing, it’s no longer tiered. The planting space has receded to the borders and more containers are now in use rather than inground plantings. This has left the center free for easier movement around the yard.

I’ve employed other techniques in order to stay active in the garden. Yet this latest round of absence from the garden has created in me a renewed drive to find more sustainable methods to maintain the garden that reduces the effort involved, that is, less time and labor.

The Theory of the Case

Hmm, this seems like some type of equation: Effort=Time + Energy.

Anyway, equation or not, the need is real and so is my invitation to join me on this journey to rehabilitate my garden after an absence in a way that requires less effort.

I have a theory that in creating a home garden which feels less demanding, you must know your needs and environment.  This helps in figuring out elements and activities that make gardening easier for you.

Conclusion

To this end, I’ve created a quiz to help you discover your gardening style and if you take it, I’ll also send you a list of the tips I’ve discovered thus far that helped me keep the majority of my plants alive even with my 2-month absence from my garden.

Reach Out

Let me know, what you think? Email me at tracy@thecandogardener.com and let me know what things you do to put less time and energy in the garden?