Like most people these days, I find I have a long list of things to do, and little time in which to do them. (Hence the delay in updating this website.) Spring is a very busy time of year for me as a permaculture garden designer and consultant, and also a busy time for me as a gardener, as the gardening year begins in earnest.
From finishing spring pruning to sowing seeds, to potting up indoors sown crops, transplanting and direct sowing in the polytunnel and outdoors, there is a lot going on for me in my own garden. Meanwhile, many others are keen to get plans or advice for their own gardens throughout the temperate northern hemisphere and beyond.
If you would like a design for your property this spring, please get in touch as soon as you can to discuss your requirements. I am keen to accommodate as many requests as possible and in many locations, you still have time to make many meaningful changes and perhaps even to get started on implementing a design this growing season. I hope to hear from you soon!
Forest Gardens – the Ultimate Garden Type for Busy People
There are fortunately areas of my garden that take a lot less work than others. As I frequently have cause to celebrate – an established forest garden becomes almost self-sustaining, with far, far less work required than traditional annual production.
These really are the best sorts of gardens for busy people who don’t have hours and hours of free time to spend in their gardens. There is, of course, still some maintenance required, and time must be spent in activities like chopping and dropping, and harvesting. But even when slightly ‘neglected’ or wild, a forest garden can still be hugely productive.
While I do also grow annual crops in a polytunnel and no dig beds, the highest yields on our property are derived from the walled food forest. At the moment, I am harvesting a variety of fresh spring greens before the first of the fruit harvests arrive.
The cherry and plum blossom, and the apple blossom soon to arrive, make the forest garden especially beautiful at this time of year.
Planning Well Saves Time
If you are already familiar with the concept of permaculture zoning, then you will know that determining the best layout involves looking at how you move throughout the site and planning accordingly.
Putting different garden elements in the right places and making sure that places you need to visit most frequently are easiest to reach really can make quite a big difference to how long it takes you to accomplish certain things in your garden.
Other planning also makes a difference to time-savings as well as yields and results. Through careful planting of planting schemes, pathways and access, water systems and more, you can save a lot of time down the line.
Casual Weeding and a Continual Foraging Approach
Rather than setting aside blocks of time for weeding certain garden areas, or for harvesting from a forest garden, I have found that it is better to take a more casual approach, and to weed and harvest as I walk about the space, and as I undertake other jobs.
This, I feel, means that I am using my time more efficiently. I often come in from my garden with something for our dinner, and drop a few weeds on the soil surface of a vegetable bed en route to other parts of my space.
This means that I actually do make the most of the diverse produce I grow and that getting rid of plants from places I’d prefer they did not grow never becomes overwhelming. Sometimes, of course, we eat the weeds too, or find them useful in other ways, so weeding and harvesting become one and the same thing.
Saving Time Through Design
There are many other habits and practices that can save time in a spring garden but if you want to create a garden where you are wasting no time and can use well whatever time is available to you, well thought out design is the most important thing.
One thing that a number of my clients have mentioned is that employing me to advise on their properties and to create bespoke garden or farm designs has saved them a lot of time.
A permaculture designer like me can help you to synthesise your own ideas and save time on planning. It can also potentially save time by helping you to avoid mistakes and common pitfalls.
If you have any questions about precisely how I can help you to create or improve your garden or larger property, or would like more time-saving tips tailored to your own situation, please do reach out to discuss your options.
EWSP Consultancy 