It is pretty hard for me to juggle the time. Especially during the peak of the growing season, I find myself having to neglect the garden. This sometimes means overly large green beans, tomatoes that turn bad, or withering plants.

But, right now during the cold winter, I have time to get things started indoors and look forward to planting everything outside.

Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

I teach vegetable gardening classes in Atlanta, and one of the things I suggest is to find the time. Write it into your schedule. If you don't have time to garden, do you have time to harvest and eat? Can you add 5 minutes to that harvest time to tend one area?
Can you add 15-20 minutes on Saturday Morning (get up earlier!) to have a coffee and tend the vegetables? Can you spend an extra few hours during prep time preparing for your lack of time?
Can you find the time to mulch heavily with cardboard/newspaper and then several layers of mulch? If you don't have time to water can you add ollas so that watering happens when needed during the week?
I am not "retired" but I do not have a regular working schedule - so I can spend as much time as I like in the garden pretty much. It has been the trade off of our family. My husband works a regular job, I work when I get the opportunity (and volunteer a LOT) however we forfeited my regular salary for the money we save in the food we grow. We obsessionally buy fruit, but we do not buy any fresh foods, we grow them all. However I used to work 60 hours a week, volunteer for 10 hours a week and also grow all of our food (and hang out with my friends and teach at nights). It can be done!

It is hard for me to find time because I work full time and have two small children. I make gardening an activity with the kids though and they love it. Would your friends be interested in gardening with you at all? It's something that's fun to share.

wow, I guess I shouldn't be complaining then lol.

I have told my friends on more than one occasion that
I like to garden and grow plants. the reaction is either
disbelief or confusion as to why I do it.

I really dont look like the type of person to be gardening and
not many my age do it unfortunately.

I look at gardening as a hobby. Something i enjoy doing and try to make the time to do it to the best of my ability. Ya just got to keep it within yer meens. If ya got a full time job and other obligations there is no way yer gonna farm a 100 acre plot. But just maybe you can find the time an hour a day or so to tend to a small 30' by 10' garden or whatever size.

I do have a full time job in the construction industry. I got a daughter. I have a Harley that needs my attention too ;) and i love to fish and do other stuff. But i still find the time to make a quick pass around the garden area with the garden hose to make sure its watered proper, etc, whatever.

And its a great hobby at that, i can eat the end product ;)
Pickled Pepperoncini's
Fresh Basil for Sauce
Tomatoes to make Sauce
Hot Peppers to zest meals up
Fresh Cukes chilled in the fridge with garlic and balsamic vinegar.
Fresh picked string beans to snack on
Etc, etc, etc,
DARN good stuff!!!

Jim

One thing I try to remind myself of is "it takes less time than you think." You really can get a lot done with a few minutes here & there. I know I fall into the trap of getting whiny about needing to water the garden, or whatnot, but when I got out there and DO IT, it doesn't take much time at all. I think I'm guilty of making it all seem like more work than it actually is.

If you make a regular habit of taking a walk in the garden, you can pull up a weed or two while you're out there, and if you have a basket in hand, you can harvest whatever is ripe. Instead of thinking "I need to set aside a huge block of time to Weed The Garden," just take a regular stroll to "see how things are doing" and do a few things while you're there. Don't fall into the trap, like I do, of thinking that if you can't do everything that needs to be done RIGHT NOW, then it's not worth doing anything. If you have 10 minutes, use 10 minutes. If you have only 5, then use 5.

I also consider my garden time to be really valuable for my psyche, so it's just worth it. A couple of years ago I was really good at grabbing my morning coffee and taking it out to the garden with me. I'd sit on the grass and watch the bees moving from blossom to blossom, and just enjoy the rising sun and the plants. While there, I could weed, prune, or harvest, or just sit and relax.

As others have said, you can reduce some of the work with good mulching, or installing a drip irrigation system on a timer, etc.

You also might be surprised about friends. I had a BBQ in my back yard a couple of years ago, and as it was winding down, with just a few people left, the topic of the garden somehow came up, and I mentioned I'd let the weeds get out of control, and reached down to pull up a few of them. Suddenly, all of the remaining guests leaped into action and started helping me. Amazing!

:) I'm with the above poster, it takes less time than we think. I actually always feel a little restless in the spring because OK, everything is planted and growing, nothing needs water because of frequent spring rains, the weeds aren't out of control because it is still cool... what is there for me to do but go out each day and look at the plants and say "yup, still going, not ready to harvest yet"? And except for the emergency watering when it is really dry, there isn't really any task in the garden that can't be picked up or put down at a moment's notice... You know, if you want to win your friends over to gardening, just give them a few ripe cherry tomatoes right off the vine or a salad with fresh, tender lettuce... who could resist?? Cheers!

I work from home so I'm lucky enough to be able to get out into the garden whenever I need a little break. But I just wanted to mention, since the subject of the garden being valuable to the psyche came up, that when I was in college taking psychology class my teacher told us that the absolute best thing you can do for your mental health is to garden. It gets you out in the sun, gives you some moderate exercise, and if you're successful (and you choose to grow veggies) you get the added benefits of having nurtured something from a little seed or plant into something much larger and more impressive, and you get to eat fresh veg!

Hooray for vegetable gardening!

I'm retired and gardening is a hobby now that I can give a lot of time to. I have been able to indulge my interest more. When I was working with overtime hours, yes, the days seemed an hour short to mow, harvest, plant, and weed.....but I did it because frankly I had no youth baseball to attend and many things like that. My wife fixed delicious meals at home.

Finding the time is difficult. Dh & I own and operate an environmental firm. However the garden is my sanctuary. It's my peaceful time to start the morning and my place to "play" in the afternoon / evening with my doggies.

As others stated only start what you can manage. Starting small and wanting to go bigger is better than starting big and having it get out of control.

Don't let your friends discourage you. Be the trend setter. They'll appreciate it when you have veggies to share during the summer.

You may be VERY surprised to find out how many people of college age garden! A friend started a community garden at the university she attended and loads of kids came from the school and took classes with me. I regularly have at least 2 students out of 10 who are college age and the interns at the local community gardens and urban farms are your age. Your current group of friends may not garden, but when you go and hang out, look around at the other people and find the ones with the dirty hands, or try and see if there are short volunteer opportunities in your area that include gardening or cropmob or whatever (I don't know where you are located) - find some garden buddies!

I work full time and struggle with finding enough time too. But my problem isn't so much taking care of the garden - I do that for fun on the weekends. My problem is harvesting! Which should be the fun part, but I find it takes a lot of time to harvest, scrub, chop and cook the veggies. Of course it is much more delicious than the frozen or pre-washed veggies you get in bags at the supermarket, but still it does take a lot of energy that I don't always have at the end of a 10 hour workday.

i work and on call full time job have 2 kids and a farm... and a husband that does not care for gardening but the tollerates me...

I do my watering early and use drip lines or soaker hoses.. and you can get a timer so they will not over water. i also pick in the early mornings.. i Mulch EVERYTHING i can mulch so i dont have too many weeds or bugs and dont have to water as often in some cases...

and most things will stay good in the fridge till a weekend..

I work long hours and do volunteer work and just recently finished a college degree. Other than a few flurries of activity at various times of the year, the garden doesn't take much time and pays back many benefits ten-fold. When I get home I grab the basket and the dog and go outside before I even have the chance to sit down. Once the butt is in the chair after a long day, it's hard to get up again.

It helps to plan ahead and work smart. Mulch heavily for weed control. Use floating row covers to foil the early insects. Install drip irrigation or at least a sprinkler or two that can reach the whole garden so watering even a large garden isn't a "chore." I find raised beds, once installed, save much labor. (Or containers, when I was renting.) I usually only plant crops and varieties that I know do well here so I don't have to baby them.

I start the garden as soon as the soil is warm enough for hardy crops and succession plant and change out beds through the year. This spreads out the work instead of it being a summer chore. It also spreads out the harvest, meaning I don't spend a whole lot of time canning and preserving, and I try to grow crops like winter squash and sweet potatoes that keep well just as they are with a minimum of effort. Those in colder climates don't have that luxury, but there are other trade-offs.

Sometimes it's a matter of priorities. I talk to many people who complain about having no time, but think nothing of sitting in front of a TV for 2 or 3 hours a night. I doubt they think that the prioritize TV, but they really do.

If you have done everything to manage your time and are still overwhelmed, perhaps you are planting too much. Or perhaps you just expect too much of yourself. Sure, weeds reduce productivity a bit. But having an less-then-polished garden doesn't mean it isn't a good garden.

You do not have a shortage of time. You have simply made the choice to hang out with your friends instead of gardening.

I have 2 kids and work 40 - 48 hrs. a week. My husband mows the lawn and occasionally fertilizes it. I do the landscaping and gardening. I have trouble finding time to make my garden look good/great but certainly have the time to garden adequately. My garden will never be the gardens in magazine pictures - weed free with straight perfectly mulched rows. But I get peace of mind working in it when I get the chance, and it produces food, fruit and flowers. So I guess I find enough time all the while wishing I could find more time. It can be done but its not always easy.

Best of luck to you.
~Cindy

I have the same issue. I'm just about to turn 21 and work a full time job, do university after work and trying to balance it all as well as hanging out with friends isn't easy for me either. My friends tease me for liking gardening and call me old and would never want to hang out with me while I garden so that's not an option either. I find that sometimes the garden just ends up being a sad mess and at other times (when I'm not so busy) it looks great. That's just how it is for me.

I've gardened ever since I was a kid. When I was in medical school I gardened , had a horse ranch and we raised our own cattle, chickens and hay. I did this during residency as well.
I find if I make a point of doing my daily things before work and as soon as I get home they are a good wake-up and chill time for me. I also mulch like crazy, which really cuts down on weeding and watering. Someday, Ill retire to the big farm of my dreams and have a nice, 2 acre garden with waterers on a timer!

I'm a senior in high school and I find time to do gardening.

I'm usually busy on the weekdays, so I do most of the work on weekends or holidays. On weekdays, I harvest plants that are ready and I do a general inspection of the plants.

I do tons of things but always find time for gardening. I am a research professor, also do teach in spring and fall, need to write proposals for grants, need to manage projects and do lot of research, I have to take care of my 3yr old daughter, expecting twins this spring, involve in lot of social events and voluntary help to friends...despite of all these works, I do gardening, somehow I manage to take care of my garden.

I learned to garden from an ex boyfriend. I was 19 then and everyone in his family gardened, so when we rented a house together, he set one up too. I thought it was amazingly cool to grow vegetables. (My mom's plants were plastic.) And considering we were dirt poor back then, the free food came in handy.

Even when I took my newfound gardening skills to a new circle of friends everyone has thought it was really neat that I have a garden. None of my husband's friends gardened, but as we all got married and started buying homes, one by one, friends picked up the hobby largely because they saw I could do it and wanted to try it too.

I guess it's just strange to me that people--even young adults--would find gardening "old" or uncool. I have never run into that.

Gardening has always been a form of relaxation, a time to rid myself of any built up stress and the opportunity to watch nature at it finest. Time to do anything in your life is measured by its priority. If it's important to you, you will find the time.

"My garden will never be the gardens in magazine pictures - weed free with straight perfectly mulched rows."

Don't worry Cinsay, gardens in magazines are like models in magazines, unreal! They probably air-brush out the weeds...

My time is extremely limited too - I have a long way to go until I'm retired (sigh...)

I'm a big believer though that you can accomplish just about anything in 15 minutes per day. That's about all I spend on my garden on average and ours is big - 2500 sqft and it provides a significant amount of food for our entire family year round. If you have a small garden, 15 minutes per day will be MORE than enough.

You can do it! Make a routine out of it. Go out for 15 minutes in the morning before you leave for work. Or 15 minutes after dinner... whatever works for you.

I agree completely with those who suggest mulch and row covers. Mulch is especially helpful, as it drastically reduces the amount of time you will spend weeding and watering. I prefer hay or straw (hay has more weed seeds, but it's cheaper, and if you apply it thickly enough, those seeds won't be able to grow anyway).

One other tip - if you haven't chosen a place for the garden yet, then please please PLEASE consider putting it close to the house. If you put it far out in the yard, the only living souls who will visit it on a regular basis will be the local wildlife. Put it close to the house - preferably right outside the kitchen door or along a frequently used pathway. You'll find yourself able to spend much more time there because it will be so convenient. You'll also harvest more from it... need a sprig of dill for your cucumber salad? Would a few scallions improve that stir-fry? Craving a little mint tea? No problem when they're right outside the back door.

(Shameless self-promotion: I covered this topic extensively in my book... link provided below)

-Diggity

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Imperative

I have gardened fairly continually since I was married 35 years ago. I well remember the years when I was juggling work, school, children, etc. I definitely did not have as beautiful a garden as I do now, but I had SOMETHING. Sometimes I think that my generation has been entirely too fond of the term "perfect". I have noticed in some younger magazines I have perused lately, that there is alot of usage of the words "good enough". How I wish I had realized that Good Enough was perfectly acceptable when I was younger!

Another good word is "big enough". There is no law that says you have to grow enough food to can, freeze, and store for a family of eight for a full year in order to be considered a gardener. Heck, fresh tomatoes and beans once a week throughout the summer is a treat compared to supermarket fare! You can get that with 3 to 5 large pots!

I encourage all time challenged people to have as big a garden as they can happily tend, and not one square foot more. That may be just a few pots on the porch, and if so, that's "good enough".

And, by the way, I have plenty of time now (sort of), but my energy level is not what it used to be. My vegetable raised beds consist of 220 square feet. I grow enough food for my husband, his mother, and me to have fresh food on the table throughout the year, but any we don't eat, I give away to people who need it. That just about perfect for me!

Here's another vote for making time by prioritizing the garden above other activities.

Its also a vote for considering how much you can take care of and planning your planting with that in mind.

Last year I was working insane overtime -- 10 and 12 hour days, 6 and sometimes 7 days per week. So I planned for minimum care and maximum results.

I planted only what we loved most -- tomatoes, peppers, bean, basil, cucumbers, and summer squash. I used heavy mulch to keep down the weeding and drafted my husband and daughter to do the watering.

I planned for fresh eating only since I knew that I'd have no time for canning and/or freezing.

And I planned to make quick harvesting runs through the garden a couple times during the week with major harvesting only on my days off. I had to accept that I'd end up tossing a certain amount of over-mature produce into the compost.

This year we need the food more and my hours have become more predictable so I'm growing a bigger, more varied garden. But I'm still using the heavy mulch and I'll still be drafting family help with certain chores.

You just have to make the commitment that gardening has a certain value to you and that you'll do what you value even if it means cutting down some activities that have less value.

I struggle to find time too - I'm a single parent to 2 kids. But we make it a fun activity and once the plants sprout then the fun begins! LOL...they can't wait to taste this wonderful food that we grow. One thing we did instead of planting in the ground is to plant in a grow box. You can see the site below. In any case, it has saved me TONS of time watering, TONS of time from picking weeds! And I can use them every year. Great product :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Grow Box

I find it interesting that people call gardening a "past time" or a "hobby". My garden is my survival. We eat almost 100% of our vegetables from the garden and we need it to eat. It is one of my household jobs, I am The Gardener.

as noted by my name, I have five children....my husband and I both work long hours away from home ( until recently I have a 2 hour commute both ways)...I have another hobby that I love more than gardening ( sewing)....

I truly believe you have to make priorities and do not spread yourself too thin or you will neglect everything instead of being medicore at some things but mastering ONE or 2...so if watching Reality TV is your thing, you have to neglect something else... if gardening is your thing, you may not see your friends as much...if volunteering is your thing, your own laundry may pile up.

those with children, why not let them help... last year my then 9 and 10 year old's "chore" was to water the garden everyday.... Suffice to say getting 2 little boys to play in water is not hard to do....but it killed 2 or 3 birds with one stone...( kept them busy for 30-45 minutes while I got dinner or other household things done, got my veggies watered and it got them involved int he process... this year they are looking forward to the Spring harvest a lot more than me

signed, doer of many things, master of none ( who also probably has a pile of laundry to do and a load of dishes to put away)

Newguy- I've been where you are, not that many years ago (LOL) so I would suggest you make gardening something that you do either in the morning or evening. Maybe before school (get up a little earlier) and have your coffee, while your checking on the garden...or after school/work, before hanging out with your friends.

If you have time between work and school (you know for homework) maybe sneak a little garden time in there, too. As for hanging out with your friends, think about adding a few chairs and a table, if you have the room and you can all hang out by your garden. If there's not much room, a bench is all you need.

Also...very impressive to bring young ladies over to see the garden, complete with butterflies, birds, etc. They'll see you're mature enough to take care of something...and it's a romantic place to sit and talk :)

Best of luck with your garden!

After 30 years of gardening, little by little I have found ways to simplify. There are actually 2 basic principles which helped the most. 1. I only grow the most nutritious crops. I do not have time to spend on crops that do not produce much nutrition or produce too much anti-nutrients. 2. The most nutritious crops are usually the toughest crops. I do not have to bend over backwards to accomodate them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden For Nutrition

It's not about how much time you have, it is about how you choose to spend your time. When I was in college full time, I worked part time and spent my spare time partying. That was my choice and I don't regret it.

Now I work full time and gardening and cooking are what I do to feed my soul. I chose to spend my "spare" time in a kayak or throwing a ball to my dog. Again, my choice.

Life is like a garden, it's always changing.

I can pretty much say what others have already. You dont find the time to garden, you make the time. If you cant make much of it then dont do much. Do things simply, and only grow what you love. If you dont want to water daily then get soaker hoses and a timer and let it do the work for you, its easier and better for the plants to have a consistent water schdule then to wait for the rains. But dont let the fact that your water is taken care of keep you from checking on things often. Its easier to be proactive than reactive when dealing with pests.

Ever since I was a boy of 11, gardening has been my only persistent hobby. I dabbled in a few other things, like chess and playing with radio-controlled aircraft, but gardening has won over them all. Don't ever let anyone tell you that something is wrong with you because you like gardening. They are just losers. I still deal with people who wonder why I'm not doing 'normal' stuff like socializing or going to a hockey game. I just shake my head and feel sorry for them.

As for finding time for gardening...I wish I had that complaint right now. The ground is frozen 3 feet deep, it was minus 32 F this morning and there's two feet of snow on the ground. So, in our short sprummerall (yes, we have two seasons: winter and sprummerall), I try to cram in as many crops as possible.

My way of unwinding is to get home and immediately walk into the garden to poke around.

Some people put their feet up after work, some people grab a beer, some people watch TV to unwind.

I need my garden to do it.

well i have decided to keep only a few potted veggies this year.

maybe next year i'll reopen the old plot

I struggle. I grow food for health reasons, not because I like to garden. I'd much rather be able to buy affordable, healthy, good tasting fruits and veg than have to grow them.At every turn I try to work smart and cut my time waste.

The college town I live near is big time organic gardening!
Even the day care center does great composting etc!
Check into any college ag dept and you "might" find some gardening programs!
Good luck! Nancy

I am still gainfully employed (knock on wood), and thankfully, work a schedule that allows me to have plenty of time outside during the summer. I work 530am - 3pm, and from home one day a week. There is always plenty of time to get out there and mingle w. the plants :-D

I'm a single working mom of 9-yo twins. I work 6 days a week, not by choice, and try to make time for activities with my kids, like short camping trips during the summer, so time savers are important. The garden is deeply mulched. The front yard is native landscaping (arid southwest, buffalo grass and some wild flowers, it stays short naturally), the back yard is the mulched vegetable garden and, um, a lot of weeds outside of the vegetable garden. That has to change this summer, as the neighbors are selling their house, and need our yard to be decent. Actually, the kids are old enough to run the weed wacker now, so it should be easier to keep up (hahahahaha).

The vegetables are kid-friendly--they pick snow peas, snap peas, and pod peas sometimes before they are ready; likewise, they pick any tomato or cherry tomato that ripens. The bean teepees, of course, are their territory. I do have to keep up with the squash, as the kids don't like to get too close to the prickly stems. Garlic harvest is a family affair, along with bunching the stems (you can't braid hardneck garlic, after all) and choosing the best for Grandpa's kitchen. And at the end of the summer, the potato dig is a hunt for burried treasure.

The kids want to grow corn this year. That may push me over the edge on gardening time committments! ;-) If I can find a short-season popcorn, maybe they will go for that. Otherwise I will push for a flour corn, like Taos Blue, or Painted Mountain, and grow a three sisters garden. Sweet corn we can get at the farmer's market!

So, to sum it up, make time for vegetable gardening, let the rest of the yard go native.

Catherine

We have large gardens 4 aprox 100-200' wide and 300' long. 2 row cultivator behind tractor to weed ect. My wife was overwelmed by this and did not understand good enough. I put a 25'x25' kitchen garden in our front lawn. She tends this like a flower bed because that is what people see when they come here. I just cultivate till the plants have a head start then let them fight the weeds. her garden does not know what a weed is. She waters, mother nature waters mine. We eat all summer out of her garden. we eat all winter and everything sent to the farm stand is out of mine. We spend about the same time gardening.