With very little time or skill you CAN have a productive vegetable garden. Simply follow the tips below and you will discover that many vegetables and herbs do grow themselves, with little intervention or input required.

I have had the perfect case study to look into this and have found it to be a fascinating discovery. It has begun to impact the way I grow and tend to my own garden as a result.

I have had the opportunity to plant and care for a garden at a family beach house. The owners are there every few weeks but not on a full time basis. When they do go to the house they don’t want to have to tend to the garden too much. They would like fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables on hand so they can have food ready to add to meals without the need to bring everything, or shop when they get there. They had two crate beds set up and planted with easy to care for vegetables and herbs. You can find out about my garden set up service and contact me here.

I have been supervising the garden and keeping an eye on it to track the progress. It has proven to me that plants will survive, they will grow by themselves and require very little care. In return if you plant wisely you can repeat the rewards.

I admit that this study has not yet included the period over the heat of summer. It has spanned Autumn, Winter and Spring. The plant progress at the start of summer is extremely promising.

The picture below was the day of planting and the picture following it is just four weeks later.

The garden bed pictured below was in place when the owners took over the property. They have planted it with herbs and greens.

Planning your garden

• Be realistic about what and how much you would like to grow if you will not be present to care for the plants.
• Choose plants that are versatile and can be used raw or cooked in your meals
• Choose only plants your family eats regularly
• Be prepared for some losses – with no attention some plants will not survive
• Plant according to instructions: eg in the correct season and a suitable location that gets 4-6 hours of sun per day.
• Plant a mix of slow and fast growing plants so you always have something to harvest
• Make a diary note the first few times you plant something and review the growth time and how well it grew so you know how often to replant and if it is suited to your level of care and lifestyle.

Low-care, hardy vegetables and herbs

These plants will grow with little attention required.

• Artichoke
• Beans
• Capsicum
• Carrots
• Chilli
• Chives
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Mint
• Onion
• Pumpkin
• Rhubarb
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Spring onion
• Thyme

These plants can not all be grown all year round so please check my seasonal planting guide for the correct season to grow them. You can find it on the Useful Resources page.

Plant care for periods of absence:

These are my tips for ensuring your plants not only survive in your absence (or absence of attention) but will provide you with useful harvests to add to meals.

• Have a plan/materials in place for pest protection if there is a problem pest in the area that you know about eg: possums
• Provide shade cloth in summer to protect against extreme heat
• Mulch to keep soil moisture contained and with some heat protection
• Plant seedlings in a protected area rather than adding them straight to the garden to protect against pests. The more robust the seedlings are that you plant, the greater their chance of survival.
• Use Eco Seaweed in times of stress – eg: after watering at the end of a long period of absence, after planting and during high heat, or pest attack.
• Providing regular water will result in the best crops. If you do not have a watering system consider other options such as asking a neighbour to do it for you in your absence in exchange for garden harvests of their choice after watering.

Container gardening:

• Refresh the soil (with a high quality mix) every season
• Mulch

Did I miss any vegetables or herbs off the list that you think provide a low care option to add to a vegetable garden? Please let me know in the comments below.