How to Plan a Low-Maintenance Garden When You Have a Busy Schedule

By: Ashleigh Smith for True Leaf Market

Spring is slowly arriving as the winter snow melts and daytime temperatures grow warmer. While spring weather signals it is time to start gardening, it also brings spring sports, busy schedules, travel, and an ever-growing to-do list. Both new and experienced gardeners alike may start to wonder how to manage growing a garden on top of everything else.

The key to managing the chaos is to plan a garden that fits your lifestyle. Plan for the amount of space your schedule will allow you to manage, select growing styles and containers that maximize that space, and choose crops that work hard for you.

How to Choose the Right Garden Size for Your Schedule

One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make in early spring is planting based on ambition rather than available space. When the excitement and energy are high during the late winter and early spring months, it can be very easy to overplan and start too many indoor starts for your available garden size. Overplanting early on can turn into an overgrown summer garden that is harder to maintain and begins to feel like an added stress as the season goes on. And stress is the last thing you want to feel in your gardening space.

A good rule of thumb is to start smaller than you think you will need. If your schedule allows, you can always expand later. Or, add additional succession plantings of your favorite crops for a continual harvest. By turning your focus from expanding the overall growing space to improving the productivity per square foot, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest without becoming overwhelmed by the upkeep.

How to Choose a Garden Style That Saves Time and Reduces Work

Just because you had a huge garden last year doesn’t mean you can’t downsize when life gets busier. Traditional garden plots can be a lot of work, especially when they become overrun with weeds. And the weeds will come. A great option for those who don’t have much space, or don’t want to manage a larger space, is to use containers. Just make sure your growing containers are large enough, and have drainage holes to prevent waterlogged growing conditions.

Setting Up A Container Garden

Popular containers include fabric pots, raised beds, hanging baskets, and planter boxes. Containers often have fewer weed problems than large growing beds or plots, saving you some hard work all season long. If time spent watering containers is of concern to you, consider connecting an automated watering system. Drip lines can easily be set up from faucets for timed watering while you are busy living life on the go.

Downsize and Prevent Weeds with Cover Crops

If you are feeling overwhelmed by a large garden space, consider downsizing and covering unused spaces with cover crops. This will help keep weeds at bay while also improving soil quality for future use. As cover crops grow, they prevent erosion while continuing to build the soil. Cover crop mixes are best for yielding the greatest benefits. Consider growing an all-purpose cover crop, forage-friendly mix, or a pollinator-friendly mix.

Bring the Garden Indoors

If an outdoor garden feels like it just isn’t doable with your expected summer schedule, consider growing indoors with a hydroponic grow tower. These are a great way to grow fresh herbs, leafy greens, and microgreens for a quick harvest. Plus, the automated watering system makes it easy to come and go as you please without worrying about your crops. While indoor growing can limit the types of crops you can grow, it is great for those who are short on time and space during the busy spring and summer months.

Best Low-Maintenance Vegetable Crops for Busy Gardeners

Not all vegetables require the same level of attention. Some quietly produce with minimal intervention, while others demand frequent monitoring, pruning, pest control, or precise timing. Whether you want to keep it simple, or are willing to spend some time caring for your growing garden, there are plenty of great selections to grow in your garden!

Cool-Season Crops For the Home Garden

Some of the best low-maintenance crops for home gardens include cut-and-come-again greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, and arugula. Leafy greens thrive outdoors, but be mindful that some, especially lettuce, will bolt quickly in high temperatures. When summer approaches, greens are often best grown indoors. Other crops that thrive outside in cool conditions are carrots, cilantro, radishes, cabbage, pak choi, and peas.

Warm-Season Crops For the Home Garden

While your cool-season crops are thriving in the early spring months, most warm-season crops are either waiting to be directly sown or are started indoors. Crops, including tomatoes, peppers, and most herbs, are best started several weeks ahead of time before being transplanted after your last frost date.

If you don’t have time to start yours from seed, simply pick some starts up from your local nursery. While tomatoes can require a bit of attention throughout the growing season to monitor for pests or prune away sucker branches, determinate bush types can help you save on space and time. Determinate types generally produce fruit in more concentrated sets, rather than over the course of the whole growing season.

Squash, cucumber, and melon plants are best grown by directly sowing seeds into the soil. Their root structures do not tolerate transplanting well, and planting their large seeds is very easy. Because they prefer warm soil temperatures, directly sow into the soil 1-2 weeks after your last frost date.

Low-maintenance, high-reward crops include:

• Bush Beans
• Carrots
• Leafy Greens
• Peas
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Summer Squash
• Determinate Tomatoes
• Most Culinary Herbs

High-Value Crops That May Deserve More Time and Attention in Your Garden

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Melons
• Indeterminate Tomatoes
• Winter Squash

While a low-maintenance garden can sound very appealing, some crops may just be worth the extra time, space, and attention. If you look forward to enjoying fresh melons, cucumbers, or winter squash, consider carving out a little time each week to monitor for squash bugs under the leaves or borer holes in the stems. Turning this quick, but important, chore into part of your after-work routine is a great way to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed while still taking care of business.

Aside from monitoring for pests, the growth habits of different crops can make them require more attention and time throughout the season. While determinate tomatoes are great, you may really enjoy popular indeterminate tomato varieties. If that’s you, then taking some extra time to provide vertical support and to harvest regularly may be worth growing them in your garden. Similarly, vining cucumbers and squash can also require much more space than other fruits and vegetables. But if they are something that you look forward to every year, you should definitely include it in your garden plans. For plants susceptible to common diseases, consider growing hybrid varieties known for good disease resistance.

How to Avoid Garden Burnout and Manage Spring Gardening Stress

Growing a garden doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Just remember to start small and prioritize crops that bring you the most joy. Then, continue planting and growing as your schedule allows. Plant in succession and expand with reason. Remember, you can always revamp your garden plans as the busyness of summer winds down and fall approaches.

If there is anything I would like new gardeners to learn, it is that a small, well-managed garden produces more than a large, neglected one. Sometimes the best answer to managing a garden with a busy schedule is to optimize growing in a smaller space and choose resilient varieties that can stand up to pests and disease better than others. With these tips, you are sure to experience the joy of growing a garden without the added stress of constant care.

About the Author:

Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: www.trueleafmarket.com.

All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.

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