How much time do you spend on your garden?

[habitat_gardener]

The thread on the resurgence of food gardening said the average is 5 hours a week. I spend more than that, even in the winter.

From Dec. to Jan. it's 5-7 hours a week: planting garlic, onion starts, and strawberries, maintaining cloches or row cover over new brassicas or peas or tender perennials, picking kales, and playing with the compost. I'm not including any Tomatoville time, or time spent deciding what to plant and buying and trading seeds.

This time of year, I usually spend 8-15 hours a week: tending to seedlings, watering once the rains stop, weeding, potting up extra plants to give away, redoing trellises, picking greens, playing with the compost, etc.

In the summer, it's more like 15-20 hours a week: half an hour a day (or more) picking raspberries and blackberries, as well as chopping up compostables, picking (and weighing and recording) tomatoes, making various plant/compost teas, playing with the compost, etc.

How much time do you spend on your garden?

[sprtsguy76]

I dont know how much time exactly, but I've been spending alot of time out there lately. I spent about four hours today putting in my drip system for my containered stuff. I was out in the yard yesterday for about 4 hours building sun blockers for my containers. I can find myself spending countless hours on just little stuff during the tomato season. I dont spend nearly as much time out in the garden in Oct- late Dec. I'm just too gardened out by then. But it doesn't take too long before I get that itch again in late Dec. and I'm out in the yard tilling and cleaning.

Damon

[newatthiskat]

Not enough time. Last year it didn't take long for the garden to get away from me. This year I am hoping for more time= more help. Actually I should be out there now. . I think I am going to get off line and get off my behind and go to work at it. Maybe I will lose a little of the behind while I am at it
Kat

[duajones]

I probably spend 4-5 hours a week after everything is planted.

[Barbee]

I'd guess 4-5 hours a week on the veggies and probably the same on the flowers. That's once everything gets planted and going. Spring and fall are probably double that.

[WVTomatoMan]

Is that total time spent or time spent actually doing something constructive?

Randy

[Barbee]

My day usually goes like this:
Drag out of bed, grab a cup of coffee and slip on my plastic shoes. Need to get out early today and pick tomatoes. Sit on the deck, see a weed, go pull it...see something else that needs attention..go tend to that. Walk around looking at everything, pulling weeds as I go. Need another cup of coffee...I'll grab my tomato basket while I'm in there! Get coffee, the phone rings, blab a few minutes, go back outside, I'll water these containers while I'm thinking about it....OK GO GET THE BASKET!
Head out to pick maters.....see some hornworms. Start picking those off first. Let's get these few weeds while we're here. Finally get the maters picked about 2 hours later!
I'm easily distracted, so it takes me awhile longer to get things done

[nctomatoman]

Lots and lots - esp. at this time of the year prepping for seedling sales....then during the summer...my energy wains in the early fall when weeds and disease take over - my restorative period is fall through late winter.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Originally Posted by WVTomatoMan

Is that total time spent or time spent actually doing something constructive?

Randy

I would say half the time is spent just looking at the plants.

[gssgarden]

Barbee, I'm the same. I just wander around and take mental notes of things and get just a few of them done.

As long as I'm outside, I don't care.

Greg

[Sherry_AK]

I'd say an average of 4 hours per day. Much more than that in Spring, a bit less during the main growing season, and more again in Fall.

[Polar_Lace]

Originally Posted by Barbee

Finally get the maters picked about 2 hours later!
I'm easily distracted, so it takes me awhile longer to get things done

That's not distraction..... it's obsessive!

Works for me! Always pick the fruits of your labor; to sit down and enjoy -- after your chores.

Isn't that what I was taught when I was a youngster?

~* Robin

Adding something here: do I count all of the hours since I moved down here in September 2008?

[lefty_logan]

Right now i'm only prepping for my plants and tilling my new garden plot. I only do that for about 30 minutes a day and I cant do much until after 3:00 because i'm a high school freshman

[vermiit]

I'm erratic. In the heat of summer, I ignore my garden. I manage to pick a few in the morning, but it feel's like an oven going outside. When winter finally comes, I end up with black standing up tomato skeletons, and the plot is covered with weeds and Bermuda grass. Then I get the itch again. A couple of 20 hour weekends, I dig out all the weeds, amend the soil with a lazy person's compost bin, clean out the chicken coop, gather leaves, and labor mightily to set up a new garden. I start seeds, transplant, and baby and visit them as they grow, anticipating the taste of garden ripe tomatoes.

When they start getting little green tomatos, it seems forever until they turn color. The first ones are relished! I eat, I share, I enjoy being out...and then the heat hits. And it starts all over again!

[fourtgn]

I spend about 2 hours per day during planting out month, but only spend maybe 2 hours per week plus weeding and harvesting after that. I mulch VERY heavily so I don't tend to have much of a weed problem. The mulch helps lots with the watering, too, sooooo, until harvest, not a lot to do but sit outside and enjoy watching the tomatoes grow. Oh yes, my DH. He probably puts in 12-14 hours helping add compost, drive to the gardening shop, and assemble new cages for me at this time of year. Then he will just help pick and eat veggies. (He makes the BEST marinara sauce with stuff straight from the garden.....)

Fourtgn

I do have a very small garden, so that means a lot less time.