Is Gardening Hard?

For many years that have been many programs on the television that pushes gardening as an enjoyable task to do and a convenience. However, what these programs do not tell you is how hard it is to maintain a garden.

Gardening is quite hard for beginners as it requires some knowledge and may sometimes be physically tiring. It requires a gardener to be consistent with watering the plants. However, for people with some experience, gardening is a much easier and enjoyable experience.

In this article, I will explain how hard gardening is and wall the aspects of it. I will explain if gardening is a challenging physical activity, what knowledge you need to have to start a garden. I will also explain how much time you need to spend on your garden and how consistent you need to be.

Gardening is hard work as plants and landscapes require constant care and maintenance. Even choosing the seeds that you are going to plant can take hours as there are so many different species to choose from. Once the seeds have been sown, then they will need to be watered, and the weeds will need to be removed regularly.

Some people have compared gardening to attending a gym, and it is fair to say that maintaining a garden will keep you fit. Therefore there is no need to purchase an expensive gym membership. There are many people who fail to realize how much hard work is required to maintain a garden to a lovely standard. Despite the hard work that is required, there are still many people who enjoy gardening, and some would even say that it is their leisure activity.

Consistency is an important part of gardening, and it can be hard to be consistent in terms of light, humidity, and nutrient solution, as these can be affected by several factors. There is a vast amount of knowledge that is required for gardening as each plant has its own unique requirements. It will take many years to build up a substantial amount of knowledge.

Different seeds have different requirements, and this can lead to a lot of confusion. It can be tricky to remember all the requirements for each type of seed. With experience, you will be able to build up the knowledge and skills to be able to care for several different species, but this will take time.

There is a lot of work that needs to be put in to maintain a garden, as even grass is a plant. Plants will have varying requirements in terms of light, and an example of this is grass in a shaded area, as it will be difficult to maintain a good quality of grass.

How Much Time Do You Need to Spend on Gardening?

It has been calculated that a gardener will spend the equivalent of three years of their life maintaining and pruning their gardens, which means that over a fifty-year period, a gardener spends around five thousand six hundred and seventy-five hours keeping their garden in shape.

There are many different tasks that a gardener needs to do to successfully maintain a lovely garden that is clean, tidy, and free from weeds. The length of time that it takes to do the various tasks will vary, and some of the tasks will need to be completed regularly, whereas other tasks only need to be completed once a year.

Most of the tasks that need to be completed in the garden can only be done during the spring and summer months due to the good weather. However, the amount of time that it takes up to maintain a garden is still rather incredible, and it is something that will deter a lot of people.

Gardening Task	Average Time Spend Each Year	Details
Mowing the lawn	15 hours	One hour every two weeks over about thirty weeks in a year.
Cutting hedges	9 hours	Three times each year spending three hours trimming boundary hedges and tidy up.
Watering	45 hours	Approximately fifteen minutes every day during the spring and summer months.
Plant and flower maintenance	13 hours	Approximately thirty minutes weekly during the spring and summer months.
Raking dead leaves	6 hours	Approximately thirty minutes every week during fall.
Weeding	13 hours	Approximately one hour every two weeks during the spring and summer months.
Painting fences and sheds	8 hours	Once per annum.
Power washing patios	4 hours	Twice per annum

Why Gardeners Sometimes Fail with Their Garden?

There are many reasons why gardeners fail, and one of the main ones is that they fail to realize how much time it will require and then quickly get fed up when they feel that all their free time is taken up with the various gardening activities.

Another reason why gardeners tend to fail is due to making the wrong selection of plants and selecting something that is too small or too big for the garden. When starting out gardening, it is important to avoid having too many plants as growing each individual plant will take time, and plants take hours to look after correctly. Larger gardens will require more effort and time compared to smaller ones. However, there is no perfect size of garden as this will vary from one gardener to another.

In some situations, starting with a smaller garden might be better as it will allow the gardener to develop garden and plant knowledge without having to cope with a massive area. Ensure that you plant seeds at the correct time of the year and in the correct location, as each plant has its own unique requirements. Providing the plant with the correct conditions will make a difference in the success of the plant.

Overwatering is a common problem that can affect gardeners, and overwatering can cause more problems than underwatering. Most plants will be able to survive dry soil for a couple of days. However, soil that is soggy can kill the plant within a couple of days. Plants that have too much water can become damaged due to an incorrect concentration of natural minerals in the soil and can lead to roots becoming rotten.

Do You Need to Be Consistent with Gardening?

Consistency is very important when it comes to gardening, as plants require a certain level of consistency. Each plant is unique and has its own requirements in terms of nutrition, temperature, humidity, and light intensity.

Consistent watering and drainage are very important for the plants as this will help to keep them in the best condition. Consistency is an important factor when it comes to unlocking the potential of any garden, and plants will thrive on consistency. Plants tend to respond better when kept in conditions with a constant amount of light and soil conditions.

Maintaining a constant level of acidity in the soil will also assist the plants to do better, and it will maximize the uptake of nutrients from the soil. For most plants, it is best to keep the acidic level at between 5.8 and 6.5, depending on the plants that are being grown. A sudden change in conditions can be very dangerous for plants, and in some cases, the changes can be enough to kill the plants.

What Do I Need to Start a Garden?

There are several things that are need for starting a garden. The top five things that you will need for starting a garden are a trowel, pruning shears, hose or a watering can, a garden rake, and an angled shovel. A handheld trowel is important as it will be used for several different gardening jobs, including breaking up clumps of soil, transplanting seedlings, and removing weeds. Pruning shears will be necessary for trimming back plants. A garden rake is another important piece of equipment as it will make it easier to clean up grass clippings. An angled shovel will be useful for digging soil and moving soil.

As well as the essentials, there are a few things that you might decide to get to give a more personal experience. Gardening gloves can be very useful and will protect your hand when pulling weeds or removing thorns. Gardening gloves will prevent you from getting blisters and scratches.

Kneeling pads are rectangular foam pads that can be useful when gardening. However, it is not an essential item. Kneeling pads will help to protect your knees when you are gardening, as you will likely spend long amounts of time kneeling on the ground.

What Do I Need to Know How to Start a Garden?

There are a few things that you will need to know when it comes to starting a garden. Starting a new garden will mean losing a part of the lawn, and it is possible to remove grass using chemicals. Care needs to be taken when working with these chemicals as they can be harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. There are also several organic methods that can be used to effectively remove the grass.

Healthy soil will be important to establish and maintain a garden that is healthy and able to reach its maximum potential. A soil test should be performed on the soil to determine the nutrient content. If the results from the soil test showed deficiency, it is possible to make changes to get the correct concentration. Soil needs to have the correct acidic level, the problem with this is that plants can tolerate different levels but avoid having soil that is too alkaline or too acidic.

The correct need to be chosen for the conditions that you have in your garden, and this is where a lot of time will be spent learning about the different plants. The plants that are used in the garden can be split into four main categories, which are herbaceous annuals, herbaceous perennials/biennials, woody trees and shrubs, fruits, vegetables, and herbs.