Getting physically fit enough to get more gardening in

[mikeymikec]

I have a large enough front and back garden that if it's just me maintaining it, there's likely more than I can keep on top of myself. I'll likely have to remodel the garden to make it more easy to maintain, but the problem I'm facing at the moment is that if I put an hour in, I then want to rest for an hour afterwards. I've kept up the gardening at times enough so that in theory I would get used to the labour, but if I could put say 2 hours or more per weekend-day then I would make better progress.

Putting this in terms like standard get-fit exercises, I suppose I need to divide up the gardening into smaller chunks: my thought is to do 30 minutes, have 15 minutes rest, do another 30 minutes, etc. I'm in two minds about this approach because some types of gardening are more rewarding than others and I might just convince myself that 30 minutes of gardening that I'm making little visible progress with is 'enough' and be done with it.

Another tactic I'm hoping to make something of is to start gardening near lunchtime so the downtime period is more productively spent by feeding myself, but that requires effort too.

Thoughts?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

You sound like an oldster, like me!

Ever since I took up residence in our family's home, I kept a garden on the inner patio, and I had some potted citrus trees on the hillside patio. I'd been doing this for 20 years now.

On the inner patio, I usually raise tomatoes and a few other vegetables, growing the tomatoes vertically, supported by six-foot cages. To prepare the approximately 120 square foot plot for the tomatoes, I of course turn the soil after weeding, and I add our homemade compost, particularly concentrating it in the holes with the tomato plants. And once these tomatoes are growing in the ground with the cages, I only need to prune the suckers so that I have only a main stalk with sun leaves.

There is always a pest problem, particularly mites and hornworms. For this, I spray the plants with Bacillus Thuringiensis [Thuricide] for the hornworms, and Neem Oil or similar applications for the mites.

I had my last good tomato garden in 2021, the year just before my brother died. Moms died last October. I now have time for this stuff again.

I did some work today, planting one tomato and working on my soaker-hose connections. I'd put up a "NATO-approved" camouflage net above the tomato plot to cut down on the So-Cal sun a bit, but of course the patches of fabric and netting deteriorated from UV, and I pulled the deteriorated camo down today. I started making up and testing connections for my timer system of soaker hoses on the inner patio. If I can keep my garden watered by timer, then I can drive up north for a week or so to visit my brother without fear that my plants will wilt.

The more square footage you cultivate, the more hours you will spend on your garden.

I have to consider this as exercise for myself, in addition to walking a half-mile or full mile every other day. I've got COPD, and get out of breath more easily than I did ten years ago. I think I should keep up my garden every year. I can make a lot of tomato sauce, the presence of a well-kept garden raises my spirits. It gives me something to do, so I don't get depressed about losing two family members recently and worrying about the future ravages of old age.

And with that -- I think I'll pop open a bottle of ten-year-old cabernet from my chiller, to drink with dinner. I had a very satisfying day.

 

[iRONic]

You sound like an oldster, like me!

The more square footage you cultivate, the more hours you will spend on your garden.

the presence of a well-kept garden raises my spirits. It gives me something to do, so I don't get depressed

I quoted the text of your post that has been my mantra since becoming physically disabled. Please don't think I'm discounting any other parts of it…

I stick to mostly flowering perennials, bushes, and trees. My back patio has a thriving fern & ivy garden because of the shade an ornamental wisteria I have trained over the pergola gives it. The front entrance of my home is being groomed like an English garden boxwood walkway. This project has been years in the making.

I have a pair of mini rose gardens/areas. They were here when I bought the house and they're very easy to maintain. I simply cut them down to about a foot above the ground every fall. We are converting one of them to a peony garden this coming spring.

 

[skyking]

My Sis and BIL made raised beds he could work from his chair.
@mikeymikec I like it, you are going to try gardening intervals.
This is the way.

 

[Jazz98]

We have a big garden which was taking too much time to maintain, but we wanted it to still look good. We gradually reduced the maintenance by more than half, and people stop and chat more about it if visiting or just walking past.

Most of the back garden is transformed to rustic patio on two levels. The front is converted into a scree garden and the side is transitioning to trees and shrubs.

Wasn't exactly cheap. But was worth it, for look and reduction of work.

Hope you find a time/style balance you're happier with.

 

[mindless1]

IMO one of the best exercises for a task is that task itself, but make sure you stay hydrated, don't get excessive UV exposure, and be mindful of how you're using your muscles, in case you are bending over too much and a different shovel would help, for example. Working slower can help too, enjoy the time spent and set reasonable goals.

If a lot of the work is weeding, consider some weed killer or ground cloth or stones to reduce that.

 

[Muse]

Now that warm weather has pretty much arrived, I'm doing more gardening. I'm trying to not get too much UV exposure, so early and late or quick! I'm also getting aerobic exercise daily, so working in a 2.5 hour trip to the gym (includes 5 miles each way on bicycle alternating with 1.5 hour bike + hike to 1000 feet elevation from house). Plus I am, ahem, senior, but intent on staying fit. I'm off to the gym in a few minutes, hope to do some more after getting back and dinner, but depends how I feel. I have a list of stuff to do before a surgery in 16 days that will put me on the shelf more or less for 6 weeks! So, get major projects done and hope I'm able to do what's necessary until I'm AOK.

 

[iRONic]

I wish I had a quarter of your energy! Good luck with everything on your surgery, mang.

 

[Muse]

I wish I had a quarter of your energy! Good luck with everything on your surgery, mang.

Thank you! I wish I had 10x my energy TBH. It's hand surgery, outpatient, nothing serious, but the hand will be substandard while it heals, stitches out end of June.