Your Food Growing Time Saving Tips?

[Samuel1988]

Morning all,

I am curious to know what time saving tips some of you use when growing your own produce?

One of the biggest for me would be not digging in compost and simply letting the worms take it in.

I would love to hear about all your time saving tips which I hope to utilise on my plot

Samuel

[Samuel1988]

Also growing perennial alternatives to annual crops, mulching, not double digging...

[Scarlet]

I often let chard,lettuce to self seed. Transplanting the seedlings if I want them elsewhere.

[Kristen]

I have raised beds, never walk on them, don't dig them (although I did prepare them well at the outset, and they do get "dug" when I harvest Spuds and Parsnips etc.)

Covered with woven weed suppressing membrane, so no weeding and reduce watering.

I raise all my plants from seed, in pots, and plant out. This may not seem like time saving! but it allows me to do them on dark evenings, even when weather is foul, early in the season and when the plants are put out they steal a march on any surrounding weeds - particularly planted straight through the membrane.

[Guest]

I don't have any amazing tips or tricks, its all a bit bog standard.

In the first instance plan and set realistic targets.
Like Kristen I raise from seed for the same reasons, as well as helping to minimise slug, mouse, flying rat damage.
On new ground I will dig it over and that is it. After that I top dress/ manure and fork over as and when needed.
I treat garlic as a perennial and dig when needed (it gives smaller bulbs- not an issue)
Toms in greenhouse - split or past it toms get thrown on the soil and the seedlings get pricked out and replanted as required.
Perennial veg and fruit are a must. Once established it cuts down on watering.
Grow more of the things I am good at (peas and beans) less of what I am rubbish at (brassicas)
My biggest time waster is weeds - so black plastic and weed control fabric is a must. I am rubbish at hoeing regularly and I moved 18 months ago so the veg patch keeps getting neglected so I have resorted to weedkiller (which I am not proud of but it does a job)
Then lastly acceptance. As long as I harvest something it is fine. There will always be the good, the bad and the plain ugly, after all you are trying to con mother nature!

[Fleurisa]

I saved loads of time this Sunday by getting hubby to prepare the ground and plant the onion sets. I stayed at home and potted up my seedlings

[Feral007]

Mulching. Thick mulch over any grass. And then if like today I want to thin the mulch to get seeds through, the few bits of grass that have pushed through are weak and easily removed.
Paper and mulch around new plants and on paths around beds. The mulch ends up making better soil now as it keeps in the water and keeps out, the cold. And then it makes more soil.

[mothhawk]

I don't really want to save time. I enjoy being out in the garden doing things. What doesn't get done one day can be done the next. Or left undone. There's no rush or urgency, no deadlines in my patch.