There’s this saying: work harder, not smarter. You are probably familiar with that one colleague who spends hours slogging through his paperwork, when you could have done it within an hour. The truth is, a lot of the information that is being touted online about gardening, some ostensibly byzantine, isn’t necessary at all. Other people say “lazy,” but the word they’re probably looking for is “efficient.” 

You can forget about pruning your tomatoes or watering a few plants and still end up with a flourishing garden. In the heat of summer, when tending to your garden like the last thing you’d want to do, it’s time to step aside and follow these low-effort tips that will minimize your toil. 

1. Stop Digging Holes 

Traditional gardening methods call for disturbing the earth in some way, whether through digging or tilling. If you don’t want to spend all afternoon bending down and breaking up compacted dirt clods, the no-dig method is very useful. The no-dig method is a straightforward method that involves growing crops in raised garden beds. Raised bed gardening is especially beneficial if your soil is primarily heavy clay or otherwise deficient in nutrients. 

To get started, place your raised bed in a location that receives at least six hours of sunlight. Then, layer in organic matter (plant debris, compost, logs) using the hugelkultur method, finishing off with a layer of topsoil. Overtime, the woody debris will break down, essentially leaving you with rich, aerated soil ready for planting. 

2. Automate Watering  

During the summer, the hot sun can feel like a demon, scalding your back like the fires of hell. If you don’t want to risk death by venturing outside, it’s time to automate your watering schedule. This irrigation kit, with its hassle-free setup and weather-resistant materials, simplifies the complexity inherent in a traditional drip irrigation system. No need to overthink it – just connect your garden hose, and you’re ready to go. For even greater convenience, you can add a Vego digital water timer to automate watering. Even a little mishap can destroy the day, so be sure to purchase a retractable hose set, and you’ll never have to deal with a tangled hose again.  

3. Plant Native Perennials  

The garden may be crowded, but there’s always space for perennials. Perennial herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint are reliable growers that are more than dinner table garnishes. In the garden, herbs act as effective filler plants, promoting a lusher appearance in a desolate area. Elsewhere, perennial flowers are the ideal candidates in a cottage-style garden, which is basically a flattering smorgasbord of “plants everywhere.” 

4. Give Your Garbage to Worms       

Compost is often a frustrating endeavor that involves throwing kitchen waste into what looks like a toxic biohazard and hoping for the best. Then comes the hassle of carting the resulting material into your garden beds. Eliminate these headaches by composting your kitchen scraps directly in your beds through vermicomposting. 

Meant to be buried into the soil of your raised bed, this in-ground worm composter allows worms to break down organic waste (kitchen scraps, paper, etc) into nitrogen-rich compost you can then harvest for your garden with minimal effort. If you’re worried about raccoons or other varmints digging up your vegetables, row covers can help deter them. 

5. Grow Vining Plants  

Oftentimes, the key to a successful garden is one that looks vibrant and alive – the antithesis of a yellowing lawn or a half-dead Dusty Miller. Vining plants, styled upon trellises, easily add a wow factor that doesn’t require a life of servitude. Many vining plants are low-effort, especially when compared to other types of plants. They often require minimal care, growing to sprawling, marvelous lengths with little human intervention. However, keep in mind that some vining plants, like clematis, are more high-maintenance than others. 

6. Leave Leaves in Place               

You know that feeling when you want to tell a certain celebrity or politician to ‘leave it?’ This also applies literally to leaves. When you clean up your leaves, you’re eliminating essential habits for overwintering fireflies, butterflies, and a myriad of other animal species. If you don’t want your entire yard laden with sodden leaves, there’s likely a small part of the yard that you can leave your debris in place. You should also leave spent seed heads and flower stalks in place, which add seasonal interest and serve as shelter for overwintering insects. 

7. Plant it and Forget 

“A watched pot never boils” is a rather irksome saying, but it's actually applicable to plants. There are always anecdotes where overpampering your plants leads to opposite results.  Gardening is never an exact science, and perhaps the moral is to forget all about it. Onions, potatoes, and many root crops are all vegetables that you can just sow and walk away from. Foxgloves, zinnias, and asters are another set of plants that you can plant and forget. 

8. Tying it all Together   

Sometimes, the solution is to surrender and let nature take over. Essentially a combination of multiple methods, this will require some initial work, but is worth it when your garden transforms into a magical woodland realm. Start by arranging your garden beds into a satisfactory formation and preparing the soil. Then fill your space with local native plants, shrubs, and groundcovers (which will require the least amount of maintenance and watering). The closer it mimics the same plant variety as a local woodland, the less maintenance it will take. Lastly, set up automatic irrigation and run for a few seasons, until the plants become established and will not need any watering.