Compound Effect Garden
Gardening in Small Increments
One common phrase that I often hear people say is that they don’t have as much time to dedicate to gardening as they would like. Despite the busy lives we lead, filled with various commitments and responsibilities, engaging in gardening doesn't necessarily have to be a time-consuming endeavor that takes up your entire day. By committing to just a small amount of time each day, you can create a significant impact beyond what you may have initially thought possible. I can anticipate some of you reacting with skepticism, thinking, "Every day in the garden? I simply don't have the time for that!" However, allow me to explain the immense potential that lies in spending just a few minutes daily tending to your garden.
Devoting just 10 minutes to your garden every day can be quite manageable. It could involve leisurely strolling through your garden, identifying minor tasks that require attention, or focusing entirely on one specific job. You can incorporate this brief gardening session into your daily routine, whether it's before you start your day or as a way to unwind before entering your home. The timing of these 10-minute intervals doesn’t matter as much as the commitment to dedicating this short period consistently. By breaking down the time spent in the garden into smaller chunks throughout the week, rather than trying to find a large, continuous block of time, you are making it more achievable. Instead of setting aside a whole hour in a single day, distributing these 10-minute increments amounts to devoting 70 minutes to your garden per week, which adds up to 300 minutes each month and over 3,500 minutes per year. Just envision the transformation your garden could undergo with this regular attention!
The accumulation of time spent in the garden goes beyond just the physical labor involved; there are numerous additional benefits to be gained from frequent visits. Regularly tending to your garden enables you to identify and address issues early on, preventing them from escalating into larger and more time-consuming problems later. Checking on your plants daily or weekly ensures that you don’t miss crucial harvests and gives you the opportunity to rescue any struggling plants before it's too late. Engaging in gardening on a daily basis can also serve as a form of daily decompression, offering you a moment of tranquility before returning home or starting your workday. The advantages of spending just 10 minutes a day in your garden are abundant and far-reaching, demonstrating that even a small daily commitment can yield significant rewards.
My 10 Minute a Day Garden Week July 2024
Monday: Spot weeding and harvesting berries
Tuesday: Dead heading (removing dead flowers) and pruning back oversized plants
Wednesday: Hand watering the garden
Thursday: Planting Seeds, harvesting berries, and light weeding
Friday: Removing dried sweet pea flower bush and saving seed pods
Saturday: Hand watering the garden and adding tomato and basil plants
Sunday: Weeding grasses, sow thistles, and planting Dalia bulbs.
Note: For more details about the intricacy of the compound effect I highly recommend reading the The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.
