A new gardening book claims to give you the tactics to nurture your vegetable garden in just 10 minutes increments. Not only that, the author also says you’ll have a veggie garden and a life, all while growing more food more efficiently.

Is that even possible? YouTube garden content creator CaliKim says yes. And she’s spilling all her secrets in the book The 10-Minute Gardener: How to Have a Veggie Garden and a Life. CaliKim has included 85 time-saving tactics for gardening that will have you deleting the phrase “I don’t have time to garden” from your vocabulary. And once you implement these time-saving tactics, these “cheats” will become your own personal autopilot system.

What I like about the CaliKim system is that tasks are broken down into categories of how long it takes to complete them. For instance, you’ll find a bunch of 3-minute and 5-minute tasks, as well as some that take 10 and even a few that you can save for the weekend and spend 30 minutes completing. And they are all organized by season.

Tips for Time-Efficient Gardening

If you are like me, you’re short on time before you have to run to a second job, or pick up the kids or one of a million other things BUT you still want to grow your own food and take part in gardening. How can you get it all done? CaliKim has organized your gardening life, thank you very much. Some of the time-saving and garden-organizing tips you’ll find in the book include:

• • Develop a 5-minute morning garden ritual, accompanied by your mugful of coffee or tea
  • Throw a “pest prevention party” using a few simple 3-minute tactics
  • Tackle a season’s worth of weeds with help from friends and family
  • Lunch break? Do some deadheading, which encourages more blooms and fruiting
  • Sow more seeds by developing a succession plan that takes less than 5 minutes
  • Save time later by saving seeds, staking tomatoes, pruning herbs, watering pots and etc. now
  • Set a once-a-week, 10-minute evening routine to keep the garden looking and producing its best

A book like this is great for new gardeners, yes. But it’s also chockful of “I hadn’t thought of that” tips and techniques that more experienced gardeners can benefit from, too. When all you have is a few minutes here and there, let The 10-Minute Gardener help you find the way to grow a bountiful garden.

Get your copy for your favorite gardener (which could be yourself!) when it publishes in December 2024. You can find it on Amazon or order from your favorite bookshop.