One of the many things I love about gardening is how it helps a family out financially. The financial benefits add up quickly but it wasn’t something I thought I had time for when I was working outside of the home.
As it turns out, I was wrong.
You see, at that point in my life, I had never worked in a garden before and frankly, I knew nothing about it and I would have gone to someplace like greaterbrisbanegardens.com.au or somewhere local for any tips that I could find on gardening and what to do. If you had approached me even two years ago and asked me what it is that I knew about a garden, my answer would be that my husband’s grandparents like to garden. That was the extent of my knowledge and I truly believed it was a generational art. Many people today still take great pride in their gardens, and so they should nature is the epitome of beauty after all! Keeping your deck beautiful will help contribute to a pleasing aesthetic of your garden too, and its not just the garden itself – many people tend to forget about the house itself! This is always a great aesthetic for your property too, so regular maintenance on aspects such as the gutters can show great results, and if you’re a busy bee you don’t even have to do it yourself you can hire someone like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Lincoln area (or someone more local to you) to keep on top of it. Its the same with anything else you want to maintain in your property – so if you’re finding yourself too busy to keep your garden looking fruitful and lush and you’re wanting to do something about it you may want to hire garden care services or if you’re local go to the Trugreen office in Georgia (they offer their garden care services to many states over the US as well) go in and get yourself a quote.
Garden At Home – Italian Herb Trio
About the point in my life when I first wrote Providing For Your Family When You Have Little Left To Give my mother and I started a garden. This was the very first time that either of us had worked in the yard. To this day neither one of us cut grass, we just were not what you would think of as someone having a green thumb. But since our first adventures in the yard my mother and I have come a long ways, to the point of canning our own fruits and vegetables. Almost daily my mother or I will make the statement that we should have started gardening years ago.
Conversations like that with my mother is what inspired me to write this post. I believe that it should be possible for everyone to grow their own food.
Okay, maybe not all of their own food, but some.
Reasons Why Busy People Need A Garden
- Cuts back on grocery trips
- Allows you to save the money that would have gone to groceries
- Therapeutic
- Encourages Picky Kids To Try New Foods!
- Cuts back on the amount of frozen meals prepared
- Provides continual supply of side items for dinner
- Doesn’t require much know how (more on that later)
- Creates hands on learning experiences for both parents and their children
- Builds stronger bonds through family memories
- Encourages outdoor time and less screen time
- Provides an escape from stress
- Fresh Salads
- Single Moms can feel added rewards knowing that they are providing food for their family
So how can someone who is short on time actually grow and maintain a garden?
With these gardening hacks for busy people!
1. Containers
This is a long time favorite and perhaps my personal favorite.
You can grow so many wonderful types of food in a container! It’s a great solution for those who don’t have much yard space or simply for those that don’t want to spend their precious time puling weeds. Of course, there is the added bonus of beauty that comes with selecting containers. Keep in mind that you need to choose a container large enough for the type of food it is that you are wanted to grow. If you have any questions about selecting the size just ask someone at your local garden center, they will be able to give you plenty of information on whether or not the pot is the right one for you.
2. Low Maintenance Plants
Certain plants require an amount of work such as pruning and teaching the plant how to climb but not all plants are created equally. Herbs are very hardy and do well indoors
Search for plants that have been labeled as low maintenance. Perhaps, even skip the seed phase altogether and choose a plant that has already been well established to increase the chances of its survival. If you do decide to buy an already established plant make sure to take the time to check for any diseases. You’ll be able to identify these by weak, discolored or broken leaves.
3. Water Bottle Gardening
If you are worried about watering your plants too much or not enough then you may opt to buy a watering device. That’s fine, they work great.
However, a cheaper alternative to this is using items you already have at the house, particularly if you are needing to water the yard and not a potted plant.
Create several small holes in a plastic water bottle and then bury it into the ground. Be sure to leave the tip of the bottle out of the ground. Once buried, fill the water bottle up with water. As the soil dries up the water from the bottle will naturally release into the ground. Leaving the tip of the water bottle out of the ground creates an area for you to refill once you have notice that the water is diminishing.
4. Community Garden
Another great idea for busy people is actually a great idea for single moms and that is community gardens.
You may think there are fancy rules to this but there are not. Just simply join up with a friend in your subdivision and split the work.
Here’s how it works
One neighbor provides the land
One neighbor provides the supplies
Both neighbors work and reap the harvest
My own neighbor recently approached me about this one afternoon as I was planting peanuts. He offered to help me out with anything needed in exchange for some of the crops he saw that I was planting. It’s as easy as pie and it’s a great way to make new friends!
5. Bag Gardens
This is my momma’s favorite way to garden.
Bag gardening is similar to container gardening in that it eliminates the need to pull weeds. However, you will find less plants that can actually thrive this way.
In order to make a bag garden work for you first you must choose a plant that has shallow roots. Poke several holes into the bag, this allows for water to drain as needed. Then turn the bag over so that the holes are resting on the top of the ground. Cut a giant hole onto the front portion of the bag and then plant your desired plant. Watermelons and strawberries will do just fine but remember that these strawberries will not be able to come back the following year.
Do you think you would ever try any of these? If so, which one?
Comment below to let us know the answer!
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