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

- Benedict Vanheem

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