YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Saturday May 26, 2012
Slow gardening
Posted on April 23rd, 2008 – 7:18 AMBy Connie Nelson
I was making good time. I’d already removed 11 bags of mulch (hey, I’m big on winter mulch) and I was just gettting to the north beds. If I worked fast, I could get them clean in time to make it to a birthday party by 3.
And then it hit me. Why hurry?
It’s still early, so leaving the mulch on another day — or another week — won’t hurt the plants. And I was gardening, not cleaning the bathroom. Wasn’t I supposed to be enjoying myself?
I decided then and there to commit myself to slow gardening. The idea isn’t new, tho the name may be. It’s an off-shoot of the slow food movement, developed by European foodies. The leading spokesperson of the slow gardening movement (ironically named Felder Rushing), promotes focusing on the natural rhythms of nature, taking the long view and, of course, slowing down.
For me, that means not trying to do everthing in one fell swoop. Instead of taking one frantic trip to the garden center, packing my Rav4 with plants and forcing myself to plant every last plant in a single weekend, I plan ease into it, to plant not just in spring but well into summer and take time to enjoy my time in the garden.
How ’bout you? What speed of gardener are you and why?
16 Responses to "Slow gardening"
I love this! Slow gardening. For me, it takes the pressure off…even just saying it….slow gardening…takes all the stress away! Isn’t that what gardening is all about…slowing down…appreciating the beauty and the present moment.
Other good slow things; slow-cooker meals, slow-dances, slow-hands…why not slow gardening! I’m in!
I feel better now that I can attach a name to the kind of gardening I do. And if I take a slow approach to gardening, it makes the season longer and a lot more fun. I’m not trying to do everything in spring. I’ve got all summer. I’m more relaxed just thinking about it!
Great, now when people come past and ask if the koi pond has fish yet I can come back with an authoritive title as to why I haven’t gotten the gumption to dig out all the winter gunk yet, I am slow gardening (that, and all that water is pretty darn cold to go mucking around in quite yet).
This also covers why I haven’t run out the first week of May and bought the biggest patio tomato in the nursery and punked it into the rototilled perfection of my garden space, the natural rhythms are not right and I will sink to my knees in the mud.
I’m with you, Deb. I’m just gonna take my time (like I usually do), but with a new sense of pride. I’m hoping that will prevent the typical garden burnout, that usually hits frenzied spring gardeners in early July. Heck, I’ll just be getting around to planting by then!
I tend to spend a lot of time wandering around looking for my gloves, a trowel. I’ll start out transplanting tomato starts, then wander off to find where I left my beer, then end up weeding the strawberries for awhile before I realize I need to put some of that spinach in the ground in the back bed. When I finally realize that I never finished transplanting the tomatoes, I think “Screw ‘em; they’ll be find for a few more days. It’s time for a round of croquet. Now where did I leave that beer. . .”
So yeah, I’m a slow gardener, but not by choice. That said, I’m already ahead of schedule enough this year to not be stressed out about being out of town two weekends in a row.
Apparently, I must be the only gardener who reads this blog who is employed with a full-time job. I live to garden. As soon as I get home, the work attire hits the closet floor, and I am out the door. As my uncle always told me, “work hard, play hard.” So gardening is my play time, and I’m gonna give it the gusto it deserves. I do a walk-through before and after I’m done doing a project, and I enjoy every minute of the time spent in my garden. “Slow” gardening sounds like something that might be enjoyable if a person is retired or has the luxury of being home on a daily basis, i.e. NOT employed. As far as “burnout” is concerned, the only time I am burned out is during the winter when I can’t get outside after work and there is three feet of snow on the ground!
Well, I can’t speak for the rest of us slow gardeners, but I work more than fulltime. It’s just that I don’t want to be in a hurry when I’m in the garden. Maybe it’s an age thing . . .
i have to take it slow so i dont overheat. the medication i’m on interferes with my body’s ability to regulate its temperature. when i get too hot i know i have to head inside or go sit in the shade for a while and cool down. its like having mandatory rest periods. it really helps me to plan things out and break big tasks up into smaller more manageable ones. i agree, slow is the way to go. much less stressful.
povertyrich wrote:
“I’ll start out transplanting tomato starts, then wander off to find where I left my beer, then end up weeding the strawberries…”
This is *so* me. I have the attention span of a humming bird. This past weekend I actually made a list and stuck to it. I was amazed at how much I got done!
I am pregnant and due mid july. So my plan is to do a lot before the baby is born and then cut it back a lot i.e. very slow gardening. I am hoping that I will be able to reap the bounty, water when needed and let nature take over the garden for the rest of the summer. It should be interesting!
Liz,
Mulch heavily once you’ve got everything planted and you should do fine. Best of luck with the baby.
Gardening is so different to each person.Just as a painter.Employment has nothing to do with how you decide to create. If you sit back and enjoy…then slow or fast, it’s all worth it. Congratulations Liz, babies love being in the garden.
I work full time also and get called back whenever something goes snafu so I have learned not to bite off something that cannot be interrupted unless I am sure that nothing will go out/off/down while I am in my “leisure hours”. I don’t get to ambitious after work, I save that for weekends when I have a better chance of actually getting something done.
What a great idea–like many here, I already garden slowly. On one of those distant sunny days–Monday? Tuesday?–the first thing I did was lay in the brown grass with a cat or two and took in the sun. To avoid burnout, I set a time limit or number of tasks, and when I’m done, I quit and sit around. Otherwise, it can all get so overwhelming, and chore-like.
And kiwi9mm, I work full-time, have a partner, and volunteer and see friends and cook every day from scratch and–well, you get the idea! For me, I just can’t view gardening as a task, even if it’s “playing hard.” It would be completely ruined for me. Although, if someone taped us in the garden, I bet we wouldn’t look all that different! Well, OK, maybe not the laying around with cats part, but otherwise we’re raking and digging and planting. “Slow” is also a state of mind, and I’ve become more apprciative of it as I age; I think Connie’s got it!
Hey Laura, I had heat exhaustion a few years ago, so I too, have to take breaks when it’s hot out. At first I was annoyed, but the breaks are great!
Thank you so much for putting a name on this. I grew up on a farm — if it starts to feel too much like “gotta get the ______ done before ______” it becomes work, not pleasure. Gardening, and time outdoors in general, is therapy for me. The minute it ceases to be pleasant, I’m done! Make no mistake, I love to get dirty and sweaty and do the big stuff –great for blowing off some steam! But NOT if I feel the clock’s ticking or it’s just another item on today’s to-do list
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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