How to Keep Gardening Simple and Fun

Last Updated on May 27, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Do you know how to keep gardening simple so that it remains something you enjoy rather than something that becomes overwhelming? I have wonderful memories of filling my little red wagon with cucumbers as a child and pulling the wagon from my father’s garden to the back door of my home where my mother was waiting to clean and can the produce. My parents always had a large garden, and so my assumption was that I would have that same type of garden when I grew up. After all, if three jars of pickles are wonderful, aren’t 30 even better?

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How to Keep Gardening Simple and Fun

For years, I had a large garden – actually several large gardens – and most of my free time was spent hoeing, weeding, and sweating. If you enjoy hoeing, weeding, and sweating, that’s fantastic but for me, it became a chore that I didn’t enjoy any longer. The last few years, I have worked on learning how to keep gardening simple and fun so that I looked forward to it again. These are the things I’ve learned along the way.

• Be realistic – If you only want to spend two hours a week in the garden, be realistic with the size garden you plant. You cannot care for an acre of vegetables in two hours a week.
• Use technology – I used to hoe my garden with a hoe. I spent hours outside in the hot sun turning up the soil to prepare the garden and keep down the weeds, and I paid for it with back pain for weeks afterward. Rent the tiller, or pay someone to till your garden. You’ll enjoy the garden much more when you can move without pain.
• Love what you plant – If no one in your house likes beets, why plant them? Spend time planting what you and your family will want to eat.
• Mulch well – I hate weeding, and it can be very time intensive if you don’t keep up with it. Put down mulch heavily between the rows to keep weeding to a minimum.

• Be prepared – Be certain that you have the proper gardening tools including a good pair of gardening gloves. Be sure that the gloves are rugged to keep your hands protected. There is nothing more annoying that having thorns and prickers go through your glove into your palm when you’re working outside. I chose the Guardian Pull-on Gardening Gloves that offer fantastic hand protection including an elasticized wrist that keeps debris from trickling in.
• Involve the kids – Get the kids interested in gardening when they’re little and it will be a hobby they take with them. There are all sorts of cute gardening kits and little mini gardening gloves you can find for the kids. Or, just let them get out there and dig in the dirt.

• Be comfortable – There is nothing worse that aching for days after gardening. Be comfortable by ensuring you wear waterproof gardening shoes, sunscreen, sun protective clothing, and a good hat to keep the sun off your face. I chose the Bogs Harper Garden Boots because they have a 4-way stretch inner bootie for comfort kneeling or squatting (plus they have a waterproof boot and comfy slip-on shoe in one.) I am also wearing the Armachillo Cooling Long Sleeve V-Neck Shirt, which is a lightweight knit that offers cool to the touch fabric and UPF 40 sun protection.

Gardening can be both fun and rewarding if you approach it the right way. Focus on the basics I’ve mentioned above and then tackle your garden in small, manageable steps each day. You’ll definitely feel the reward when your crops are ready to harvest. You may enjoy learning a few time-saving gardening tips.

Why not learn how to start seeds in your garden.