«Lazy» garden: how to cut maintenance in half

Tired of cultivating the soil, weeding, and carrying bulky watering cans? Spending the whole summer in the beds, but the harvest doesn’t please you? Already seriously thinking that gardening just isn’t for you? Don’t rush to give up, because gardening can be done in a completely different way – easily and with pleasure!



In recent decades, the concept of a "lazy" garden that requires minimal maintenance has gained many supporters. And their number grows every year. Some gardeners manage to create beds so independent of human involvement that they enter the garden only to carry out occasional treatments and harvest, thereby causing confusion and envy among less progressive neighbors.
 

What do you have to do most often in the garden? That’s right – weed and water. To reduce the number of these procedures, cover the soil with a layer of organic mulch no more than 7–10 cm thick.

Another advantage of mulching: as the organic matter decomposes, the soil becomes enriched with nutrients, its structure improves, and the humus layer increases. Covered soil suffers less from erosion and weathering.

And don’t limit yourself to just the beds, feel free to mulch the rows between them as well, just use a more durable material, such as wood chips.

Good mulch for the garden – straw, rotted sawdust, sun-wilted cut grass, clean cardboard, wood chips.
 

Another way to reduce time spent on watering is to install an automatic irrigation system. Thanks to it, you will no longer have to handle an inconvenient hose or a heavy watering can, and water consumption will be more economical.

There are different types of automatic irrigation. For example, sprinkler irrigation sprays water using sprinklers. This option is better suited for lawns. In the garden, we recommend installing drip irrigation with hoses or tapes.



A more budget-friendly option is automatic watering from ordinary plastic bottles. Equip them with a cord for water delivery or purchase special cone nozzles that slowly supply water to plants. Bottles with nozzles can be buried in the soil or suspended above the beds in such a way that moisture does not get on the leaves. This is very important, otherwise you will have to deal with rot later.

If you decide to go with this type of automatic watering, don’t forget to regularly refill the bottles with clean water.
 

Rows of beds with plant bushes are the “classic” of summer cottages. But maintaining such rows is sometimes too difficult. To make your work easier, install high beds in the garden. Layers of different organic matter are placed at the bottom of such beds, then seedlings are planted or seeds are sown – and a miracle happens!

The soil warmed by decomposing organic matter stimulates root growth and allows plants to develop faster. In such conditions, you can count on both high survival rates and an early harvest. At the same time, fertilizing is minimal, because a lot of useful nutrients are already in the bed itself.

A big plus – there will be no mole tunnels in such a bed (just first lay a metal mesh at the bottom). And weeds usually grow here in smaller quantities. And if you make the bed about 1 m high, your back will also be less strained during work.

Option for filling a warm bed: lay a drainage layer about 10 cm thick at the bottom (branches, pieces of bark, etc.), on top – manure, bird droppings or compost, then a layer of leaves, grass, and other small organic matter. You can also add mineral fertilizers for the selected crop. The final layer is fertile soil at least 15 cm thick.
 

Part of the garden can be moved into a vertical position to bend less during work and at the same time save space. For constructing such beds, anything at hand will do: plastic bottles, flower pots, wooden pallets, barrels, PVC pipes, etc.

Plants in containers require more frequent watering and feeding, especially in hot weather. To make the work easier, you can install an automatic irrigation system.

To make the harvest in such beds truly impressive, choose suitable plants. A great option is to plant leafy greens (onions, parsley, basil, etc.) in a vertical garden, as they are compact and do not require a large amount of soil. Climbing plants will also bear fruit well, for example, peas, cucumbers, green beans, as well as dwarf varieties of tomatoes, radishes, garden strawberries, and herbs.
 

In a regular garden, each crop has its own bed. But in a "lazy" one – plants from different botanical families grow side by side. And this helps solve a number of problems. Thoughtful interplanting helps repel pests, increase yields, improve fruit taste, save space, and extend the harvest period.

Proven mixed planting options:

It is important to consider plant height so that taller specimens do not excessively shade shorter ones.
 

It may seem that it doesn’t matter what tools you use in the garden, as long as they are sturdy. But take a look at the assortment in garden stores! Modern tools are designed specifically to reduce strain on the back and legs and allow you to perform several tasks in one motion.

For example – the popular Fokin flat cutter, which replaces a shovel, hoe, rake, and scythe. Have you heard of miracle shovels? They are a hybrid of a regular shovel and a pitchfork. With one such shovel, you can loosen the soil and weed with minimal effort. By the way, speaking of weeds, if you prefer standard weeding, at least get a root remover to save your hands.

In short, the list could go on for a long time, because there are действительно many labor-saving devices for the garden. All that remains is to choose and try them out.
 

Garden soil is rich not only in humus but also in pathogenic microflora. And if you are a responsible gardener, you probably disinfect the soil every year so that plants develop without problems. However, using chemical preparations all season is not environmentally friendly, and then you end up treating neglected plantings… There is a solution!

Your helper in improving soil health throughout the season can be trichoderma – soil ascomycete fungi. These organisms are completely natural and, when used properly, are safe.

Using the preparations is simple: first make a solution, and then water the beds manually or via an automatic irrigation system. It is useful to repeat the procedure every 10–14 days.

These are not all the secrets of a "lazy" garden. You can also dig the soil less often or even отказаться of this procedure altogether if the soil on your plot is not too dense. Green manure crops will also help loosen the soil in the beds. At the same time, these plants will enrich the soil with nitrogen, which is very valuable at the beginning of the season. We also recommend paying attention to garden crops that do not require constant care. And then working on your plot will not be exhausting, but pleasant and productive.