Lazy gardener

Hollylasue · December 7, 2016

I have a friend at work who loves fresh produce (especially tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon) but is really too lazy to garden. She has a 12x12 raised bed that was constructed 5 years ago with just basic topsoil.She has added nothing to it.The first year she planted 36 tomatoes,6 peppers,6 cucumbers,4 zuccini and some variety of green beans.Nothing was planted the next 3 years.Last year she pulled up half the crab grass and planted 6 tomatoes.Cherokee purple and Brandywine and some blue ribbon tomato.She got 3 tomatoes.This year her little girl wants to grow her own garden so what are some ( if any) varities that are easier and less demanding.I know she will do nothing to amend the soil at all because " it has barely been used" and anytime I mention weeding or fertilizing or spraying she says she doesn't have time.Thanks for any advice!

ginger2778 · December 7, 2016

Sungold F1 is sure to please, and it's a very easy to grow plant.

oakley · December 8, 2016

I would cover it for her. Cardboard boxes cut up flat over some newspaper for the winter
so all the nasty grasses will die down. If it needs to be pretty, cover all that with straw or
grass clippings that can be removed and used as mulch once planted.

I'm all for helping friends that don't have the interest or time. Sunflowers and a bean teepee are fast growers. A mound of a few squash and babyBoo pumpkins?
One small bag of good amended soil mix in the few planting holes should help the soil.
No need to go nuts on the entire bed like i do/most of us do.

Just need to give the bed a chance by killing off all the unwanted grass seedlings.

I've done just this a few times for friends with young ones. The years i have helped with no more than a few hours using my seeds and starts had great mini gardens...but lack of interest from the parents went bust and overgrown the following season. They just needed to cover again but did not. ha-rumph. oh well...

Really depends on how much time you can offer to help.

AlittleSalt · December 8, 2016

I just looked up where you're at. If it's located atop a mountain - I've never grown anything on a mountain. However, this is a list of the easiest things that I have grown:

Onions
Cherry Tomatoes
Mint
Elephant Garlic
Tomatillos
Snap Peas
Black Eyed Peas

The ones in bold don't take much effort or caging/support, etc. Of course there are certain tomato varieties that don't need caging/support like Lime Green Salad, Pinky Blast, Patio, and any that can grow in a hanging pot.

EDIT - the Black Eyed Peas grown in a smaller garden area are good for picking young and using them for snaps to be cooked with store bought Black Eyed Peas (BEP). Otherwise, it takes a LOT of BEP plants to make a pound of dried peas.

jtjmartin · December 8, 2016

I had a friend who "loved to fish" so I would take him. It turned out he wanted me to do all the work (fishing) so that he could essentially reel them in and then eat them. I was left to set up his line, bait his hook, untangle his line, clean the fish and cook them.

The next time he wanted to fish, I told him an excellent restaurant that he could "fish" in. He could do everything he did before except reel them in.

Weeding (or mulching) is gardening. Can't have one without the other.

maxjohnson · December 8, 2016

Till in some chicken manure compost, then add 6inches thick of woodchips. No weeding and rarely will need to water. Although this method will require transplanting, but since she's lazy I guess she can buy the plants.

Hollylasue · December 8, 2016

Thanks for the ideas.I think she can surely get some tomatoes from Sungold even neglecting it. I have volunteered to spend a Saturday helping this spring She said we would see her husband MIGHT get it ready.The laziness is slightly annoying only when she whines about wanting fresh produce.I just enjoy getting kids interested in growing there food.I may just do some dwarf tomatoes in containers for them. Although I am notorious for forgetting to water my own containers.

Hollylasue · December 8, 2016

Alittlesalt it's slightly depressing that onions are on your easy grow list and I have never gotten decent sized onions.Onions, melons and cabbage I just can't grow.I got one tiny cantaloupe last year and it was a volunteer plant in our firepit lol.

AlittleSalt · December 8, 2016

I can't grow melons either. They grow vines and melons about the size of a tennis ball and rot and then squash bugs invade. This year, I was so frustrated that I mowed them down.

Also, I apparently haven't figured out how to grow lettuce either.

Gardeneer · December 8, 2016

I don't buy the argument : " I DON'T HAVE TIME "
Everybody has 24 hours in a calendar day. How a typical person spends that 24 hours ? "
== lets say 10 hours for work and commuting. / five days a week.
== 7 hours of sleep.
== 2 hours cooking eating
that is a total of 19 /24. You've got 5 more hours.
lets say you need another 3 hours for kids, etc. You have AT LEAST 2 more free hours. A typical gardening in small scale does not even need that much attention and time. DAILY.

But if you are a couch potato and rather watch your soap opera and football , junk news ..., probably you will need more hours than 24 hours in 24 hours. .

Spending time is just like spending a limited amount of disposable income. How you spend it depends on your priorities..

Hollylasue · December 8, 2016

I agree with you that she just doesn't really want to spend time gardening.I am just trying to help since her girls are excited about it.Maybe if she had one decent year she would keep it up and the work wouldn't be as bad.I know how much my girl loves to garden and we even do her her own plot now.So I am just trying to get a semi successful season. Also I can do lettuce as long as it's loose leaf and not head.I had attempted brocolli 3 years and only got tiny little heads.Emma (9 year old daughter) got 12 huge heads last year.She was unbearably smug �� .She also got more Mr.Stripey off one plant than I had in multiple years so maybe she will plant melons this year

Father'sDaughter · December 8, 2016

People, even the busiest people, will find a way to make time for something they really want to do. I don't know your co-worker, but maybe she just really doesn't want to grow a garden. If that's the case, her foot dragging might just be lack of real interest rather than laziness.

maxjohnson · December 8, 2016

She need some perennials. Asparagus, artichokes and berries.

jmsieglaff · December 8, 2016

Plant the maters and mulch it deep deep deep with straw so weeds won't grow and watering requirements should be small depending on the type of summer. Should also help with foliage disease some. Maybe put some of those mini sweet peppers. A couple hours at plant out will make for a relatively easy small garden.

And maybe it's too big. Plant on part of it and maybe cover crop the rest? Maybe like 4 tomatoes and 6 peppers?

gorbelly · December 9, 2016

I would be careful. People like this often suck up your time and then, when results are not great because they don't want to put in the work, they will often resent you, even though all you did was help.

If the girls are excited about gardening, maybe you can offer to let them come over and help you in your garden. Maybe you could plant a couple extra containers with easy to grow stuff for them. Then you could let them take home some of the veggies when the time comes. And if they lose interest, as is often the case with kids trying new things, you have some extra veggies. That way, at least the time they spend with you gardening would be time when they were learning how to do things the right way, as opposed to the black thumb lessons they'd be getting at home.

Otherwise, I can see this becoming a drain on your time and energy with very little reward and possibly some unwarranted hostility.

December 7, 2016	#1
Hollylasue Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: GroveOak Al Posts: 91	Lazy gardener I have a friend at work who loves fresh produce (especially tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon) but is really too lazy to garden. She has a 12x12 raised bed that was constructed 5 years ago with just basic topsoil.She has added nothing to it.The first year she planted 36 tomatoes,6 peppers,6 cucumbers,4 zuccini and some variety of green beans.Nothing was planted the next 3 years.Last year she pulled up half the crab grass and planted 6 tomatoes.Cherokee purple and Brandywine and some blue ribbon tomato.She got 3 tomatoes.This year her little girl wants to grow her own garden so what are some ( if any) varities that are easier and less demanding.I know she will do nothing to amend the soil at all because " it has barely been used" and anytime I mention weeding or fertilizing or spraying she says she doesn't have time.Thanks for any advice!

December 8, 2016	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I just looked up where you're at. If it's located atop a mountain - I've never grown anything on a mountain. However, this is a list of the easiest things that I have grown: Onions Cherry Tomatoes Mint Elephant Garlic Tomatillos Snap Peas Black Eyed Peas The ones in bold don't take much effort or caging/support, etc. Of course there are certain tomato varieties that don't need caging/support like Lime Green Salad, Pinky Blast, Patio, and any that can grow in a hanging pot. EDIT - the Black Eyed Peas grown in a smaller garden area are good for picking young and using them for snaps to be cooked with store bought Black Eyed Peas (BEP). Otherwise, it takes a LOT of BEP plants to make a pound of dried peas. Last edited by AlittleSalt; December 8, 2016 at 12:57 AM.

December 8, 2016	#10
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,924	I don't buy the argument : " I DON'T HAVE TIME " Everybody has 24 hours in a calendar day. How a typical person spends that 24 hours ? " == lets say 10 hours for work and commuting. / five days a week. == 7 hours of sleep. == 2 hours cooking eating that is a total of 19 /24. You've got 5 more hours. lets say you need another 3 hours for kids, etc. You have AT LEAST 2 more free hours. A typical gardening in small scale does not even need that much attention and time. DAILY. But if you are a couch potato and rather watch your soap opera and football , junk news ..., probably you will need more hours than 24 hours in 24 hours. . Spending time is just like spending a limited amount of disposable income. How you spend it depends on your priorities.. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

December 8, 2016	#11
Hollylasue Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: GroveOak Al Posts: 91	I agree with you that she just doesn't really want to spend time gardening.I am just trying to help since her girls are excited about it.Maybe if she had one decent year she would keep it up and the work wouldn't be as bad.I know how much my girl loves to garden and we even do her her own plot now.So I am just trying to get a semi successful season. Also I can do lettuce as long as it's loose leaf and not head.I had attempted brocolli 3 years and only got tiny little heads.Emma (9 year old daughter) got 12 huge heads last year.She was unbearably smug �� .She also got more Mr.Stripey off one plant than I had in multiple years so maybe she will plant melons this year Last edited by Hollylasue; December 8, 2016 at 11:00 PM. Reason: Typo-my phones autocorrect hates me

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December 7, 2016	#2
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Sungold F1 is sure to please, and it's a very easy to grow plant.

December 8, 2016	#3
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I would cover it for her. Cardboard boxes cut up flat over some newspaper for the winter so all the nasty grasses will die down. If it needs to be pretty, cover all that with straw or grass clippings that can be removed and used as mulch once planted. I'm all for helping friends that don't have the interest or time. Sunflowers and a bean teepee are fast growers. A mound of a few squash and babyBoo pumpkins? One small bag of good amended soil mix in the few planting holes should help the soil. No need to go nuts on the entire bed like i do/most of us do. Just need to give the bed a chance by killing off all the unwanted grass seedlings. I've done just this a few times for friends with young ones. The years i have helped with no more than a few hours using my seeds and starts had great mini gardens...but lack of interest from the parents went bust and overgrown the following season. They just needed to cover again but did not. ha-rumph. oh well... Really depends on how much time you can offer to help.

December 8, 2016	#5
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I had a friend who "loved to fish" so I would take him. It turned out he wanted me to do all the work (fishing) so that he could essentially reel them in and then eat them. I was left to set up his line, bait his hook, untangle his line, clean the fish and cook them. The next time he wanted to fish, I told him an excellent restaurant that he could "fish" in. He could do everything he did before except reel them in. Weeding (or mulching) is gardening. Can't have one without the other.

December 8, 2016	#6
maxjohnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: OH 6a Posts: 592	Till in some chicken manure compost, then add 6inches thick of woodchips. No weeding and rarely will need to water. Although this method will require transplanting, but since she's lazy I guess she can buy the plants.

December 8, 2016	#12
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	People, even the busiest people, will find a way to make time for something they really want to do. I don't know your co-worker, but maybe she just really doesn't want to grow a garden. If that's the case, her foot dragging might just be lack of real interest rather than laziness.

December 8, 2016	#14
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Plant the maters and mulch it deep deep deep with straw so weeds won't grow and watering requirements should be small depending on the type of summer. Should also help with foliage disease some. Maybe put some of those mini sweet peppers. A couple hours at plant out will make for a relatively easy small garden. And maybe it's too big. Plant on part of it and maybe cover crop the rest? Maybe like 4 tomatoes and 6 peppers?

December 9, 2016	#15
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	I would be careful. People like this often suck up your time and then, when results are not great because they don't want to put in the work, they will often resent you, even though all you did was help. If the girls are excited about gardening, maybe you can offer to let them come over and help you in your garden. Maybe you could plant a couple extra containers with easy to grow stuff for them. Then you could let them take home some of the veggies when the time comes. And if they lose interest, as is often the case with kids trying new things, you have some extra veggies. That way, at least the time they spend with you gardening would be time when they were learning how to do things the right way, as opposed to the black thumb lessons they'd be getting at home. Otherwise, I can see this becoming a drain on your time and energy with very little reward and possibly some unwarranted hostility.