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How to take the labor out of gardening

Get growing with more pleasure and fun

Easy-care plants in a large planter combine two of the ways to reduce labor in the garden.

Easy-care plants in a large planter combine two of the ways to reduce labor in the garden. Kathy Morrison

All work and no play makes gardening pretty dull – and less fun. If it seems all you do is pull weeds, where’s the pleasure in growing vegetables and flowers?

On this Labor Day, let’s consider how you spend your time (and labor) in your garden. There are lots of ways to cut down on maintenance and increase production – and joy.

With that in mind on this holiday, here are five labor-saving ideas for your garden:

1. Mulch, mulch, mulch!

This simple step saves moisture, cuts down on weeds and helps plants cope with fluctuating weather. Use organic material (straw, leaves, bark, etc.) and that mulch adds nutrients to the soil, too. Avoid rocks or gravel as mulch; they retain too much heat in Sacramento and can “cook” plant roots. You also can use fallen leaves as mulch – cutting down on another fall chore.

2. Smart irrigation.

Stop dragging hoses. Instead, install drip lines and a “smart” irrigation controller. Drip irrigation puts water where plants need it most – at the roots. A smart controller takes the guess work out of watering. Cued into weather, it also can turn irrigation off when not needed such as during rainy weather – no more wasting water. Here’s another plus: Rebates are available in most local water districts. Check availability at https://bewatersmart.info/.

3. Use bigger pots.

The larger the container, the less frequently it needs watering. It also makes a greater visual impact and allows plants more room to grow.

4. Choose lower-maintenance, slow-growing plants.

Tired of pruning hedges? Constantly edging borders? Mowing the lawn? Transition your landscape to plants that need less fuss and snipping. It’s a matter of putting the right plant in the right place; it will grow healthier and need less care, too.

5. Plant perennials and bulbs.

What’s more time saving than flowers that come up every year with no additional work? Fall is planting season for daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and other spring-blooming bulbs as well as most perennials. Naturalized bulbs can make a big, colorful splash in your garden year after year. With staggered blooming seasons, perennials add low-maintenance flowers to beds year round. Another bonus: Bulbs and perennials tend to need less irrigation – save water and time, too.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 9

Be careful walking or working in wet soil; it compacts easily.

* Keep the irrigation turned off; the ground is plenty wet with more rain on the way.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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