Everyone that keeps a vegetable garden knows how deeply rewarding it is - yet it’s often very hard and sweaty work. Most of us have to juggle it alongside busy lives, taking the time to weed, dig and tend to our crops in between many other daily tasks. Below, I share some of the simple tricks I’ve learned as a vegetable gardener that have helped me work smarter, not harder on my homestead.
Chop and drop for abundant crops
Whether or not you decide to keep a compost pile as well, chop and drop is a great way of adding nutrients to the soil as well as protecting your produce from extreme heat or cold. Instead of carting all of your chopped-up plants and weeds to a compost pile, try cutting them up and mulching your beds with them. It’s important that you only do this with plants that aren’t in seed otherwise you’ll spread weeds all over your vegetable beds (and create more, not less, work for yourself). You’ll find that you save a lot of energy when compared to making compost piles, which must be consequently brought back to the beds to be spread. Like most gardening tips, this one definitely depends on a variety of factors. My smallholding’s food garden is exposed to often extreme heat and dryness in the Spring and Summer, so chop and drop is an invaluable way of protecting my plants’ roots from drying out. The soil here is naturally sandy, so the chop-and-drop method adds structure and nutrients over the years, improving the overall soil quality. It can also be a great way of preparing a bed for planting, incorporating it into a lasagna method style bed and waiting until it’s all broken down before planting. Planting perennials alongside your annuals This tip might seem obvious but it can be a great time saver - offering minimal input for maximum output! When you’re managing a larger garden or smallholding this can be even more valuable. Some of my favorite perennials include Jerusalem artichoke (amazing for offering beautiful borders, wind protection and prolific food), asparagus (absolutely delicious and very low-maintenance) and peppers (I sometimes bring them into the greenhouse to over-winter and plant them back out in Spring.)
Perennials are low-effort and are often stronger and more abundant than annuals as they’re established and strong. Of course, perennial vegetable patches still need weeding, feeding and caring for, but are infinitely easier than nursing baby seedlings through their infancy each Spring.
Seed save for hardier plants We all know that observation is key for gardening, any permaculture book starts with that. After many years of watching my vegetables and fruits grow, I’ve seen that the seeds that I save myself or get from neighbors are much stronger and well-adapted than store-bought ones.
Whilst I also love to buy seeds, especially of exotic and unusual varieties, I’ve noticed that my staple, homegrown annuals such as eggplant, zucchini, tomato, lettuce and cucumber improve with each year. When I save seeds from my best-performing plants, I notice how they adapt to my specific region and soil for optimal results. This is the magic of vegetable gardening and the beauty of growing your own food! I’ll never stop buying seeds as I love to try cultivating new things, but I love the self-sufficiency and community building that comes with saving and swapping your own seeds. Home-made fertilizers, free yet powerful Sometimes the most useful things are right under your nose! That’s definitely the case with home-made fertilizers. Something that can be annoying or viewed as a weed, such as nettles, can make a potent nutritional additive for your soil. The brilliant thing about these homemade potions is that you can work with whatever’s around you. When you live by the sea, seaweed can be utilized in numerous ways. If you have a city garden, waste products such as used coffee grounds can be pure gold for certain crops. Other fantastic ingredients for home-made fertilizers include wood ash, grass clippings, comfrey, egg shells and leaves. Many recipes for plant tea fertilizer mean that you turn a waste product into something nutritious for your plants. It can save a lot of time when you use things that are readily available and ideally already in your garden or home. Watch your plants thank you as you experiment with these many wonderful resources! Interplant with pest-repellent flowers and herbs This hack is something that many of us do already, without even knowing, that can have wonderful effects in the garden! The best thing about pest-repellent flowers and herbs is that they have numerous other uses such as attracting beneficial insects or making delicious teas for you and your family. Interplanting herbs and flowers in your veggie beds means that you spend less time trying to rescue your plants from bugs, aphids and other persistent pests.
Companion planting and interplanting with specific herbs and flowers can also be a great way of ensuring you have less exposed areas of bare soil. Consequently, you’ll have to do much less weeding and your soil won’t dry out in hot spells. It’s a win-win! Some of my favorite pest-repelling plants include basil, chives, marigolds, mint and lemon balm. They’re gorgeous, smell amazing and when the flowers bloom they buzz with pollinators. I hope you've enjoyed these 5 simple hacks to make your gardening a little less labor intensive! Even incorporating one or two of these methods into your gardening days can lead to more abundant crops and more time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of your garden.