If you’re thinking about starting a vegetable garden around a busy schedule this year – or you just want to grow your own food effortlessly – it’s worth stocking up on a few things that people with a low-maintenance vegetable garden always have.
I’m talking products that make watering easy, soil improvers that drastically reduce the need for weeding, and curating a selection of crops that deliver fast results with minimal effort from you. They’re suitable for gardens of all sizes, whether you’re hoping to start a small vegetable garden or a large one this year.
Below, you’ll find a list of things that people with a low-maintenance vegetable garden always have (myself included), and a few product recommendations to point you in the right direction.
1. Mulch
If I could recommend anything to beginner gardeners or those looking to start a low-maintenance vegetable garden, it’s mulch.
Mulching is one of the best-kept gardening secrets: it conserves soil moisture, which means far less watering (even during the summer), and it also helps to suppress weeds that would otherwise run rampant in your vegetable garden. That means less time wasted singling out veg patch weeds – and less competition for your plants.
Plus, mulch improves soil structure and drainage, and enriches the earth with valuable minerals, too. RocketGro Organic Magic Mulch, available at Amazon, boosts the soil with nutrients and beneficial microbes.
2. Irrigation system
Watering can be a time-consuming task, depending on the size of your garden – and that’s why one of the handiest things people with a low-maintenance vegetable garden always have is an irrigation system.
Typically, drip watering systems deliver a steady supply of water to your crops via a network of pipes and hoses, often equipped with a timer to ensure your vegetables are watered at the right time of day. Soaker hoses and sprinklers are also popular irrigation methods that can be controlled with a timer.
Smart watering irrigation systems go a step further, watering plants based on the weather forecast (so no water wastage on rainy days) and soil conditions. They’re the ultimate time-saver if watering the garden feels like an endless chore.
The Eve Aqua allows you to control your sprinkler or irrigation system from an iPhone or iPad.
This highly rated soaker hose is ideal for effortlessly (and economically!) watering a vegetable garden.
This micro-drip system provides 'care-free irrigation'. It's perfect for a low-maintenance vegetable garden.
3. Netting
One of the biggest lessons I learned when I started my raised vegetable bed was that butterflies can wreak absolute havoc on unprotected crops – especially if you’re planning on growing brassicas like radishes or cabbage.
To stop butterflies from laying their eggs on your vegetable plants, it’s worth protecting them with netting. Butterfly net like this anti-butterfly netting from B&Q is affordable, and it can work wonders at preventing a cabbage white infestation in your vegetable garden.
Just remember to keep the net suspended a few inches away from your crops with cloche hoops (like these extendable metal garden tunnel hoops from B&Q), so that butterflies can’t lay their eggs through the netting (they’ll try!), and securely fasten it to protect wildlife. Alternative types of mesh netting can guard against other garden plant pests, such as carrotfly, like this insect mesh from Thompson & Morgan.
For even less effort, you can buy a structured cloche like this poly cloche grow tunnel from The Range.
This simple cloche tunnel is collapsible for storage. Its net guards against pests and hailstones.
A two-sectioned cloche with a heavy duty mesh cover for maximum protection against garden pests.
An elegant cloche, made from black powder-coated steel and UV-resistant clear plastic, with adjustable air vents.
4. Companion plants
For a more natural approach to pest control, it’s worth learning about companion planting.
In a nutshell, this gardening technique is about growing plants together that are mutually beneficial to each other. I grow marigolds next to my peas, for example, because the flowers attract ladybirds, which, in turn, keep aphid numbers on my peas at bay – but there are tons of other companion planting ideas which keep a vegetable garden healthy and productive.
You can even try growing sacrificial crops like nasturtiums, which lure the likes of slugs and caterpillars away from your crops.
These dwarf marigold seeds are really easy to grow, and ideal for a small vegetable garden.
A complete guide to companion planting to get you started.
Sow these seeds for vibrant nasturtiums that are just as beautiful to us as they as to slugs and snails.
5. Easy-grow crops
If you want your vegetable garden to be really low-maintenance, it’s worth picking some of the easiest vegetables to grow, like kale and lettuce.
Leafy greens like these are usually classed as cut-and-come-again crops, which means the more you pick them, the more they'll grow back – so you'll get plenty of bang for your buck, too.
You can even buy pest-resistant seeds, like Carrot ‘Flyaway’ F1 from Thompson & Morgan, which produces roots that aren’t targeted by carrotfly.
A vegetable seed starter pack with over 35 different varieties to get you started.
A seed subscription takes the effort out of planning what and when to sow.
This step-by-step guide to growing vegetables is perfect for beginners.
So, there we have it: those are the five things people with a low-maintenance vegetable garden always have. They make gardening effortless, keeping pests and weeds at bay and dramatically reducing watering time.
