Could this be our busiest time of the year? Sowing, potting on and planting out is at its peak, the weeds are up, and while we welcome warmer days, it signals the regular round of watering now begins. In my garden I need things to be as low maintenance and timesaving as possible - short of just covering the whole thing with artificial lawn! With a full-time job, family demands and lots of other commitments, there's just no slack in the schedule for an over-demanding garden. If you can relate, I'm hoping a few of the tips that follow will help you to claw back some time, that most precious commodity of all.
DESIGN OF THE TIMES
Making the most of valuable time and effort starts with an efficient garden or allotment layout. It may sound obvious, but wiggly paths, awkward-shaped beds and poor placement of items such as compost bins and water butts can add minutes to every gardening session.
Consider how you move through the space and how accessible everything is. My veg plot comprises several rectangular raised beds laid out on a grid. The beds make it easier to define growing areas for crop rotation, while vegetables can be grouped according to, say, watering or pest protection needs. For example, I might grow thirsty celery and salad leaves together in a bed that's easiest for watering, or pair cabbage and kale so they can be netted in one go against cabbage whites or pigeons.
Paths between beds have a big impact on flow. They should be wide enough for a wheelbarrow to easily pass along, and for you to comfortably work from to tend your crops. Grass paths require regular mowing, while a woodchip path may need topping up once a year at most. Properly covered paths will also prevent them churning into a muddy quagmire when it's wet, which means less time cleaning up after every session!
CHOOSE WISELY
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Kitchen Garden.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Kitchen Garden.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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EASY DOES IT!
As the growing season gathers pace there's one thing often in short supply: time! Ever feel like you're chasing your tail? Benedict Vanheems offers some tips to save valuable time and effort
A NEW Kitchen garden!
It's time for sowing and planting in the new garden and while Martin is busy with that, Jill is making a tasty asparagus soup
OUR PLOTTER OF THE MONTH
Kitchen Garden readers rose to the challenge when we asked for pictures of their plots to appear in the magazine this year. It's time to meet another of our talented competition winners
MANAGING WEEDS, NATURALLY
Weeds are never far away but you can keep them at bay without recourse to weedkillers
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KG editor Steve Ott chats to Glyn Smith, head gardener for the National Trust's Erddig estate in Wrexham, about his career and love of the garden he has tended for 38 years
A CORNUCOPIA OF COURGETTES
It's time to sow a first batch of tender crops such as courgettes for picking through the summer months. KG editor Steve Ott has some tips for a super harvest
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT CURRANTS
you If I want to plant some soft fruit that is easy to grow and will give you plenty of flavour, how about trying currants?
TRY AMARANTH! The dual-purpose veg
Garden Organic's research manager Anton Rosenfeld extols the virtues of amaranth and how to grow it
A SPACE APART
Instagrammer James Martin shares his love of gardening and how much it has helped him and his family both mentally and physically under very difficult circumstances
HITTING THE SWEET SPOT
Welcome to the wonderful world of sweetcorn as Rob Smith takes a look at both old and newer varieties, with some growing advice too