How do you make time?

[Holly]

Hello everyone,
As spring is nearly upon us, things are getting exciting in the garden! I would love to know how busy gardeners manage their time in the frantic sowing and planting period that is about to commence in earnest. Whether you garden on an allotment or at home, how do you make extra time to get everything done in spring? What do you prioritise, which jobs are more important than any other, and what do you look forward to most?




Your comments may be edited and printed in the May edition of Grow Your Own.

[Alison]

Basically you make time for the things which are important to you. If I want to eat nice fresh veggies round the year then I need to sow and pot on etc so I do it. I work out what needs to done and when and follow the timetable so to speak. I don't really find motivation a problem as it's my hobby and I enjoy the time doing repetative and simple tasks and love watching things grow. I do however base my plans around the time I have available rather than drown in a sea of ambition.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I would love to know how busy gardeners manage their time in the frantic sowing and planting period that is about to commence in earnest. How do you make extra time to get everything done in spring? What do you prioritise, which jobs are more important than any other, and what do you look forward to most?
[/I].

It's really a question of being proactive and organised. If the vegetable plot is dug over late autumn/early winter and the frost has had a chance to break down any lumps and clods, its a simple case of getting the rake/hand cultivator out, levelling the ground and getting the crops in. I know that sounds simple but it is so much easier than digging from scratch in the springtime. No extra time needed for me, it's just less time vegetating in front of increasingly rubbish televison programmes and doing something healthy and productive instead.

[SarahStrawberry]

I work full-time so I know that when the weekend comes I have to get up and get on with things, especially at this time of year because its still too dark here to get anything done in the evenings.

I'm a morning person by nature so first thing, Saturday and Sunday I get all wrapped up and go to the garden and just get peace to get on or potter around, sometimes take my ipod, sometimes I prefer the birds tweeting or the rain pattering on the polytunnel roof, just depends.

My strawberry plants and my sweetcorns are usually my top priorities because that's what i look forward to eating the most over the Summer.

[Hans Mum]

i work FT and i use the weekends on the plot from 1st light to dusk, the housework suffers a bit but OH & DD are perfectly capable I pot on or sow stuff in the evenings on the dining room table and then put it in the g/house next morning. Its my hobby and i devote the time to it, once the light nights come it does get a bit easier

[pauco]

Well this is my 1st real year at the veg growing.
As last year it got a bit late before i really even thought about it, i only got the Tomato plants in grow bags about mid June!! and put them in blow away frames. + grew a few Raddish too. By then the bug had bit!
So by Sept last i had a new greenhouse up, my wife gave up a good patch of her Garden for my Onion's to grow, + more Raddish lol, i love em. So i am ahead of the game
with every thing ready and rareing to go! A bit more warmth would help of course.

This year.
Toms.
Onions.
Raddish.
Sweet-Peppers.
Strawbs.

Forgot to add, i am taking early retirement in May, so that will be a big help time-wise.

paul.

[Two_Sheds]

I get up early in the morning to do the garden chores: it's a pleasure when the sun is shining. Cup of coffee & a potter in the greenhouse, before everyone else gets up, it's lovely

[binley100]

My plot is left all ready to go as the last crops atr finished with, the beds that need manure have had it. I've been sowing seeds since January , a few at a time so that I have things ready to pop in the ground as soon as the weather permits. Extra time comes from less hours spent on housework........

[sarahspatch]

I work part-time and have a young family so spring and summer are super busy for me!

I make use of the lighter evenings - I'm often down the lottie while darkness falls around me.

Because March/April is so busy I organise all my seed packets in a box in order of when they need to be sown. If its something that will be sown again later like lettuce then it goes back into the relevent place. If I didn't do this I would miss sowing dates for some of them!

Sowing my tomatoes, salad and squashes are my top priority, as we eat a lot of these.

My household chores go a bit wayward at this time of year...so I try not to invite people round if I can help it!

[FionaH]

I work FT too so in spring I do even less housework than usual. I neglect my husband and teenage sons, (they will get over it) and I spend every spare minute in the garden. I maintain of course that I am not obsessed merely dedicated. When it all gets too much and I haven't had time to pot on all my beans and toms, my lovely mate Angie, aka selfraising, has been known to come over and rescue me

[Florence Fennel]

I work full time too, so in the Spring every available minute I'm not at work, I'm doing something gardening-related. If I'm having the grandchildren around, I involve them too! Blow the housework, that can be done when it's raining.

[winstonwobble]

i m not at work due to a back injury(5 years ago) so i have to do things little and often but that dosent stop me growing my own veggies and any heavy lifting gets left untill the weekend when there is someone there to do it but even then im in the garden till dusk most evenings

[Jelliebabe]

Last year, after a few years of not doing so well, I made a conscious descision to do something in my garden every day - weather allowing, and I did! I had my best crops ever and it didn't take too much time out of the day - 20-30 minutes or so pottering, weeding, sowing or planting. Much better than mouldering in front of the TV. Its like any hobby, if you enjoy it, you will find the time do it

[Stu_R]

Some very nice posts here. They've really gee'd me up to get stuff done this year, even more than I already was.

[Glutton4...]

I make time, by neglecting the Housework - easy choice really!