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Gardening for the lazy gardener does not mean the person creating the garden is lazy. It does mean that the lazy gardener wants to work smarter instead of harder. Many people who simply love to garden can not perform the tasks of digging, shoveling, bending, weeding, and other physical tasks. Other lazy gardeners simply have better things to do with their time — like sitting in the shade and enjoying the fruits of their labor with friends and family members.

First, let’s look at the elements which make up a beautiful, lush garden, whether in a flower bed, herb garden, colorful shades of green and gold non-flowering plants, or whatever the lazy gardener loves best. The requirements are:

Rich, nutritious soil,

A weed-free environment,

Mulch to hold moisture,

Drainage to allow excess moisture to flow away from the plants.

This can be created by digging out a bed, pulling all the weeds and unwanted growth by hand, spending hours working enrichment into the soil, and digging holes for plants. Then, a layer of mulch is placed over the garden. Sounds like lots of work, doesn’t it? Well, it really is, especially for someone with back problems, knee problems, and other physical issues.

The solution is so simple and easy, you’ll wonder why everyone hasn’t been using this technique for years. The plants will have all the same elements, but almost all the shovel and spade work will be removed from the process.

The simple answer for the lazy gardener is no big secret. Instead of planting your garden into the ground, plant directly into biodegradable bags of potting soil! Let’s look at how to successfully garden using this method.

Choose a location for your garden and measure how long and wide the space you wish to plant is in all dimensions. Just get a general idea at this point, because you’ll adjust your measurements slightly later to make things as easy as possible.

Next, take the measurements of a bag of potting soil in the largest size you can successfully manage to move into your wheelbarrow and from there onto the ground. You will want to adjust your plot measurements to allow the width of the garden to fit the bags. In other words, if you had thought a garden 3 1/2 feet wide would be nice, but the bag of soil you wish to use is only 3 feet wide, simply adjust your plot. If you truly need that extra one-half foot covered, you can cover it with mulch in the final steps of the process.

Purchase the number of bags of potting soil needed to fit your plot. Wheel them to the area you wish to plant. Line them up on the ground, about one bag width from the back edge of the place you wish the plotting soil bag to lay for the planting.

Use a knife, shears, or other sharp implement to puncture each bag of potting soil on the side that will be next to the ground in at least six small places. Puncture the bag up to 12 times if you need extra drainage for the type of plant you plant to grow.

Now, simply flip the bags of soil so that they lay where you wish to plant your plants. You may have to drag them a bit to get each in perfect position. Lay the bags end-to-end along the length of the planting area. Add another row of bags if needed to fit your plot.

Again, use your knife or other sharp implement to slit the top of each bag of soil from end-to-end. Use a small gardener’s hand spade to create a hole for each plant and insert the plant into the hole, using the same techniques you would in a traditional planting. Press the soil around the plant firmly. This work will go amazingly quickly since you are not digging into hard ground.

After you have planted your garden, cover the entire garden with a layer of mulch. This helps prevent weeds from invading the rich soil. The unwanted plants under the potting soil bags will simply die and become enrichment for the soil.

The potting soil bags will biodegrade over a period of time. During the early months of gardening using this method, reduce supplemental watering slightly because the partial cover on the bag bottom will help hold moisture around the plant roots.

Next season, you can simply perform the same [lazy gardener] process if you are a seasonal gardener. If you have chosen plants which will last for years, simply begin fertilizing by late fall and again in early spring.

Anyone, even a lazy gardener, really can have a beautiful garden without ever digging. This same method can be used in planters and window boxes using smaller bags of soil.

Annual Flowers are already the biggest bargains in the garden. Because they only live for one season, annual flowers can be purchased for a lot less investment than perennial flowers. But if you’re a true do-it-yourself fan, you can make your annual flowers even less expensive by starting them from seed.

Many annual flowers can be grown successfully from seed, including popular flowers like daisies, sunflowers, impatiens, poppies and zinnias.

They keys to success for starting annual flowers from seed are to buy good-quality seed and to provide your seeds with the best possible growing conditions.

Purchase Quality Seeds

Buying good-quality seed means you aren’t buying the packets of seed at your grocery store that retail for 88 cents. Find a trusted manufacturer of annual flower seed and make sure you are getting the current year’s stock. Some companies sell old seed at a rebate, but you’re not guaranteed that the seeds will grow. Many seed packages are stamped with the year so you will know you are getting fresh seed.

Fresh seed is more likely to grow into good, strong plants. But it doesn’t happen quickly or easily. To start seeds for your annual flowers, you will need patience and a little bit of equipment.

Seeds can be started in just about any container you like, from a purchased seed-starting kit with plugs of soil in a rack to yogurt containers or small pots. Each seed starter has his or her own favorite containers and planting medium.

Starting Your Seeds

Timing is very important when starting seeds for [annual flowers]. You don’t want to start your seeds so late that your flowers aren’t blooming until late in the season, but if you start them too soon the plants get leggy, which means they’re kind of stringy, ugly and not very strong.

The best schedule for planting your seeds is printed right on the packet of seeds. Generally seeds for annual flowers can be started eight to 10 weeks before the last spring frost, but some flowers take a long time to get started while others are quite speedy.

Whatever containers you choose for planting, scatter the seed conservatively. Too many seeds in the same area can result in weaker plants. Consult the seed package for information about whether the seeds need to be covered with soil, and how deeply.

Use a Grow Light

Seed flats or pots should be placed under a fluorescent grow light and covered with plastic wrap or a clear humidity dome (if you purchased a seed starting kit, it should have come with one of these). Leave the light on around six hours a day.

When the seedlings sprout you can take the plastic off, but leave them under the light. Thin seedlings so there is a half to one inch of space around them. Make sure you water them regularly and keep using the grow light to make the plants strong.

Once the annual flower seedlings have two sets of “true leaves” (not the leaves you see when the seed first breaks the soil) you can transplant them into larger homes. When it is about time to plant them, you’ll need to get them used to living outside. The way this is done is by taking the plants outside for a little while during the day. Leave them in the shade, but it should be warm outside when this is done.

Increase the amount of time they are left outside each day until they can spend all day outside. This “hardening off” period should take about a week.

Planting Your Flowers

When you are finally ready to plant your annual flowers, choose a cloudy morning or late afternoon. Use a weak fertilizer as you water the plants, and keep an eye on them to make sure they are getting enough water. These plants are still pretty tender, so protect them from frost even more than you might protect your more established plants.

Starting annual flowers from seed can be a lot of fun. You learn more about the plants and somehow care more about them when you have seen them through their entire life cycle. It’s a wonderful thing to do with your kids to teach them about life, conservation, how things grow and more. Don’t be afraid to start your annual flowers from seed!

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