My Top 5 Garden Go-to’s to Save Time

Gardening can be very time-consuming, especially if you're just starting out, yet it can be very therapeutic and rewarding. Sometimes the overwhelm wins out on the therapy of spending the time on what makes us feel whole inside because we let ourselves be swayed by the restriction of time and excuses.

Instead, spend that time thinking of it as therapy. It has been proven that grading reduces stress. So let’s start with a few ways to keep it less stressful. With a few tips and tricks, you can make your garden flourish without spending all of your time tending to it. Here are my top 5 garden go-to's that will help solve your time dilemma:

1. Drip irrigation

Drip irrigation is a system of watering plants that involves delivering water directly to the plant's root system. This method is more efficient than traditional sprinkler systems, as it reduces water waste and helps to prevent fungal growth. By installing a drip irrigation system in your garden, you'll be able to reduce the amount of time spent watering your plants, while also conserving water.

The reason I list this first is because in the planning process, this is the first step. If you are using weed cloth to plant in or mulching, your drip lines need to be under the cloth or mulch to be more successful. Side note to this, add a timer to your water system. Your plants will thrive, the consistency does a lot for the root system and growth, plus you don’t have to panic about setting that sprinkler or moving hoses. This was a game changer to my gardening journey.

2. Mulching

Mulching is the process of covering your soil with a layer of organic material such as leaves, straw, or wood chips. It helps to retain moisture in the soil, prevent weed growth, and regulate soil temperature. By mulching your garden, you'll be able to reduce the frequency of watering and weeding, saving you time and energy.

My favorite mulch is wood chips. As the chips break down over the seasons they help build better soil that is less compact. Basically adding compost as the mulch decays.

We use a combination of mulching and weed cloth. If you have an abundance of weeds in your area, sometimes mulching is not enough. We have Morning Glory (Bind Weed) here and it comes right through mulch and sometimes through the weedcloth. We opted to plant most things in weed cloth which hopefully will slow down the Morning Glory eventually and we mulch areas like dahlias and potatoes that don’t thrive in weed cloth.

Also be sure what your mulching with does not contain seeds or seed heads. This can create a huge headache on it’s own.

3. Companion planting

Companion planting involves planting two or more crops together that have a mutually beneficial relationship. For example, planting marigolds alongside tomatoes can help to repel pests and improve soil quality. By utilizing companion planting in your garden, you'll be able to reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers, saving you time and money.

You can find a printable Companion Planting Guide in our Resource library to get ideas of what companions would be helpful to you. Our resource library has other gardening helps to browse through as well.

4. Raised beds

Raised beds are a gardening technique that involves planting in soil that is higher than the surrounding ground. This method provides better drainage, reduces soil compaction, and allows for easier access to the plants. By using raised beds in your garden, you'll be able to save time by reducing the need for digging and weeding, while also improving plant growth.

We have just recently started adding raised beds to our garden areas. It can be a big investment and feel pretty permanent but the advantages take the win and they look so finished and bring a different element to your gardens. Mulching in a raised bed is super simple and makes them even easier to care for.

5. Composting

Composting is the process of breaking down organic materials such as food waste, leaves, and grass clippings into nutrient-rich soil. Using compost as a natural fertilizer can help to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, saving you time and money plus the health benefits of getting away from those chemicals.

We have really gotten into our composting this year! Buying compost on a large scale in our area proved to be very difficult and costly. We spent about 4000$ on this last year alone. Which mentally made me ill because we raise beef. Why on earth should I not make my own compost! We had to get a few things figured out before we could make that happen. On a smaller scale it proves to be much simpler, start with food and garden scraps, some leaves and a pile that you can water and turn and you have a good start to a system! You can find more info on composting in our Resource Library.

By utilizing these five garden go-to's, you'll be able to save time and energy in your garden while still achieving a beautiful and bountiful harvest. The work is enjoyable and when you get a chance to just admire your efforts, that feels nice!

Happy Gardening friends!

Raised Garden Beds…Why or Why Not

Raised garden beds are a great way to grow your vegetables, fruits, and herbs. They offer several advantages over traditional in-ground gardens. Let’s talk about the benefits of raised garden beds, and a few negatives to be realistic.

The Benefits of Raised Beds

The first thing that I always think of is the romantic feels of a beautiful garden space. With raised beds, trellises, twinkle lights and a place to sit and have tea or a glass of wine in the evening. The grass pathways and beautiful rows of raised beds. Archways to walk under, with the smells of flowers wafting from above. Beautiful paths with loveliness growing along the sides. OOOLALA! That is my dream garden in a nutshell!

Raised beds can provide many benefits

So I’ll stop dreaming and get to the facts, such as improved soil and drainage. This can allow you to put your garden anywhere, rather than picking a spot that has decent soil or a large level area. Building up soil for in-ground gardening can take years when starting at a deficit. Raised beds allow you to use the best soil you can get your hands on.

Maintenance can be far less time consuming than in-ground gardening. Tilling is not required, simply loosening the soil is all that is needed. Weeds are easier to control, especially if you start with a barrier before adding your new soil.

By choosing the height that works for you, gardening becomes more accessible for people with all abilities. Bad knees? Bad back? Hard to get up and down? All of these things can be helped by raised beds. You just need to plan carefully, considering limitations.

A Few Cons for the List

The Expense

This honestly kept me from doing raised beds for years. Building materials are very expensive. Dirt can also be very expensive. There are a few things you can do to help but it probably won’t be free garden space.

Look for second hand materials. You can often find items on Facebook Market Place, Craigs list or a local Buy, Sell, Trade group

Be creative! Think of ways to work with what you find. Maybe it’s metal roofing or fence posts or even rocks (that’s hard work) but be creative on how you put together the beds using the materials you find. Some of the most beautiful gardens I have seen are from a variety of resources put together in creative ways!

Permanence…

Once you build your raised beds, you’re probably not going to move them. Plan carefully and think long term.

Side note, Caution

I often hear advice to line the bottom with cardboard to make a barrier, killing weeds under the cardboard. I just recently had a very costly experience with this. Some cardboard is treated with chemicals. I had a very large cardboard box an item was shipped in. Unknowingly to me, the cardboard must have been treated with some sort of chemicals. I used this cardboard to line milk crates to grow pre-spouted flower bulbs for our flower farm. This is a normal practice for many flower farmers. All of the bulbs in the crates with that particular cardboard died within a month. The crates with other cardboard are doing well. This was the only difference between the crates of plants. Use with caution.

In Conclusion

Raised beds can be a beautiful addition to your landscape and a great way to garden. Usually the maintenance is far less and soil quality can be controlled quickly and easily. They can be expensive so be realistic. Maybe adding a few each year will help make it more of a viable option when the budget doesn’t allow for it all at once.

Be creative, a garden can be an expression of self. An artistic piece if you want it to be!

Happy Gardening Friends!

What’s Happening in April / A Few Nutritional facts on Pasture Raised Chicken

The Cut Flower Garden

More seeds are being planted every day! Such a busy time, Getting the ground ready to plant and getting seeds started, It’s a whirlwind or activity! This year we are changing a bit of our focus. We are spreading out our planting area, not really growing more but giving ourselves more room to be comfortable. The beds are a bit narrower, less stretching over the beds, less back ache. More divided flower areas. More definition between flowers types.Last year we tried to cram too much in a tight space, which led to areas that were not easily accessible with wheelbarrows and carts. This made weeding nearly impossible! So I’m just giving myself more room to move around and enjoy.

We will have a large amount of Baby’s Breath this year. I spoke with another flower seller near by who mentioned having a hard time finding Baby’s Breath, and having the same experience ourselves last year for a few weddings. We decided to plant multiple plantings of it throughout the season to have a continual supply and we are in the perfect climate to grow it.

Vegetables

The veggies are being started right along with the flowers and the green house is filling fast at this point. Onions are in the ground, and I finally feel safe that I can plant a few more hardy plants like Kale and lettuce. I’m one that likes to be safe rather than sorry and will hold plants longer in the greenhouse rather than plant and lose them. We had a couple of nights just last week that hit the low 20’s.

Beta Hatch

We are participating in a study for Beta Hatch. If your not familiar with the company it is local to our area, located in Cashmere, WA. Their facility grows and converts mealworms and their byproducts into high-performance nutrients for animals and plants.

The product we are using is called Frass. An organic byproduct of the mealworms. We are using the Frass on flowers, vegetables and the alfalfa field this year. Our study will be comparing the Frass treated plants with plants that are treated with regular compost made from mostly cow manure and wood chips.

We will be applying with a compost tea style application, spraying directly onto plants. We will compare growth rates of plants and yields of product, flowers and vegetables. As well as pest pressure throughout the season, longevity and overall health of plants. We are super excited to be participating in this study!

Chicks

Our second batch of chicks came this week from Murray McMurry Hatchery. These are egg layers, and will be providing this falls chicken eggs.

We actually took a season off from egg layer chickens last year after we had a raccoon problem. We have had ducks over that time and just used and sold duck eggs. I’m excited to have chicken eggs again this year, mostly because the clean up of the actual egg is much easier. Ducks are messy critters! They love the mud and it shows when you collect the eggs.

Meat Birds

The first batch of meat birds are growing fast and looking great! They are getting close to the half way point already. Only 4 weeks to go till processing, I can’t wait to have some fresh chicken in the freezer! They have so much more flavor than what you get commercially.

Here are a few facts about pasture raised chicken to ponder on…

Pasture-raised chicken tends to have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, essential for heart health, brain function, and reducing inflammation in the body. This is because they have access to a variety of foods in their natural environment. This includes grasses, seeds, and insects, which are rich sources of omega-3s. Plus the feed they are eating is soy and corn free, non-GMO and organic.

Pasture-raised chickens tends to have higher levels of vitamin D than commercially raised chicken. Because they have access to sunlight which helps them produce vitamin D in their skin. Vitamin D is important for maintaining strong bones and teeth, supporting the immune system, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Commercially raised chickens are often given antibiotics and hormones to promote growth and prevent disease, which can potentially lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other health risks. Our Pasture-raised chickens will not be given antibiotics or hormones, which makes them a healthier option.

I hope you all are enjoying some nice weather finally and getting your gardens ready! Happy planting, Happy Growing,

Jen