Since moving to my new house I miss gardening SO much! It’s amazing how much I miss it when sometimes I used to dread taking care of my garden. I guess the saying is true, absence makes the heart grow fonder! 🙂 Sometimes after you plant a garden or even before you start the feeling of spending time out there can be so overwhelming, espeically when summer hits and the heat is sometimes unbearable! I liked to spend my time gardening in the mornings and evenings! Want to spend more time in your garden, but don’t have the motivation? Read this great guest post from Alek on 5 Tips to Spend More Time in the Garden.
5 Tips to Spend More Time in the Garden By Alek S.
One of the best parts about owning a home is all of the things that you get to do with the exterior of it. When it comes to the outdoors of a home, my favorite part has always been the garden, whether it is a garden that grows delicious produce to eat or a beautiful blooming flower bed. Sadly, too many gardens go neglected right around this time of year, when the initial thrill has worn off and the weeding gets a little too tiring. Too many times we avoid going into our gardens during an entire summer, and find ourselves wondering why we keep missing out when the winter rolls around. To help reverse that trend this year, here are some ideas to help spend more time in your garden…
Plant something new
If your garden only requires passive gardening, containing flowers that bloom every year and only need mild pruning every now and then, then you don’t really need to be in your garden a whole lot. And in that case, you likely won’t be! For this reason, if you’re looking for more of a reason to get into the garden this year, get something new to plant that is going to require the care of your green thumb. This gives you a renewed sense of ownership over your garden, and gives you responsibility over another living thing, which is as good a motivation as any!
Additionally, trying a new species in your garden can renew your excitement in the process, motivating you to track the progress and get that old thrill again.
Set up a space to eat in your garden
When the weather is nice, it’s always a delight to be able to be able to eat outside. While you could eat on your patio or porch, and enjoy the birds and the sun from there, you also have the option of eating in your garden. There are few things that are more peaceful than enjoying a nice meal surrounded by a flower garden, and we’re hard pressed to think of any of those things here and now! Set up a space for a small table and enjoy breakfast in your garden, it will put a bright light on the rest of the day.
Do other activities in your garden
If you arrange your garden to have room to be in, then you’re more likely to want to be in it. Unless you’re a hardcore gardener (in which case you don’t need this article), then don’t feel like you need to pack the entire space of your garden with things to grow. Sometimes, it can be nice to go and do other things in your garden, such as read a book or do some yoga. Does it make you seem a little bit like a hippie? Sure. But hippies sure do look relaxed, don’t they?
Make your garden comfortable to be in
A garden should feel like a place of peace and solace. As such, it’s important to arrange it so that you feel comfortable being inside of it. To do this, one important step is to not use concrete for the walking space, as it raises the temperature of the inside of your garden, which affects how your plants grow and makes you less likely to want to be inside of it. Here’s an article with some tips about how to keep your garden cool during the summer months.
In addition to proper shade for whatever activities (or lack of activity) that you choose to do in your garden, you can also add lights, some cleverly-placed potted plants or screens for privacy, and maybe even a fountain to bring a more calming atmosphere into your garden.
Take care of your knees
This is a very specific tip that is incredibly important. Gardening requires a lot of time on your knees, digging around in the dirt and moving around. Because of this, I can’t stress enough how important it is to wear knee pads when you are gardening. You might feel a little silly, at first, when you put them on, but it’s going to save your knees over the long run, which can prevent arthritis and other injuries. You’re likely to be far less inclined to spend time in your garden if you constantly associate it with knee aches and pain.
In addition to knee pads, there are other things that you can do to make gardening more comfortable. Plan raised garden beds instead of planting directly in the ground. Space your plants out so that you can easily get between them to weed and prune. Wear gloves and bring a pad that you can sit on if you need to spend some time in a certain area.
