'Frodo' red bell peppers. A 2025 winner. Seeds from Johnny's.
Too much
Yesterday, I shared with a friend that the words “too much” keep swirling around in my head, and I feel the need to dramatically simplify every aspect of my life. Perhaps you can relate.
When I think about how to do this, my first inclination is to start eliminating. “What can I let go off?”
There are two ways to view the concept of “too much”, however.
One can feel that there is too much of what already exists (obligations, physical objects, social media) and/or feel overwhelmed by too much of what doesn’t yet exist (goals to be achieved, things to do and see, status symbols to acquire, etc).
The first requires pairing down or eliminating, the second requires a shift in mindset.
With the goal of simplifying my gardening life in the coming year, I plan to:
Drop the need for EVERYTHING to be spectacular and embrace the ordinary. My default mode is to try and make everything unique and remarkable, all of the time. It only leads to major burnout and disappointment. This year I planted some unremarkable, fuchsia impatiens in a bed beneath a red oak tree, just to fill space. Boring? Kinda. But the lack of effort required on my part to maintain them was staggering. They bloomed all summer long, unfazed by the heat or an occasional missed watering. It was a valuable lesson for me. I don’t need to fill my entire yard with stand-out, rockstar, impressive plants. It’s okay to go with something that’s easy, reliable, and yes, a little boring.
Shift the focus from “the gap” to “the gain”. I purchased my current house for the ample yard space, with grand plans for massive perennial gardens and long vegetable beds. But when I look out at the expanse of bermudagrass still waiting to be converted, all at once I feel behind, pressured, and overwhelmed. What I fail to do is look at the beautiful, thriving beds I have installed and feel pride, contentment, and excitement. I’m focusing on the gap, not the gain. Reminder: Take some time today to go out and admire the work you’ve already put in this year.
Condense, condense, condense. Plain and simple, there are too many planters on my patio. It’s a nightmare during peak summer heat with the constant watering by hand. Instead of dozens of mid-sized planters, I’m going to invest in a few really big ones and condense my plantings. Quality over quantity.
Automate everything, like NOW. I’ve been putting off the installation of drip irrigation in the vegetable beds, and I paid for it this summer. It was so overwhelming trying to fit watering responsibilities into an already packed schedule. A main focus for me this winter will be getting as much on drip as possible so I can set it and forget it.
Here are more ways to simplify your garden life:
Streamline plant choices: Grow fewer varieties but more of each. Specialize instead of sampling everything.
Plant perennials and self-seeders: Reduce replanting chores while keeping beds full.
Batch garden tasks: Assign one day per week for deadheading and fertilizing, and one day per month for replenishing mulch, pulling weeds, or tidying up shrubs. You can keep track of these assigned days in your planner.
Sometimes, radical simplification requires nothing more than choosing to look at things in a different way. It’s by no means easy, but it’s good to know we have that tool in the shed.
Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.
Speaking of simplification, relieve your loved ones of the task of coming up with a creative birthday or holiday gift for you. Just forward this email, and say “This! I want this!”