Chapter 3 - If I only had the time ...

"If I only had the time ...". How would you end that sentence?

... I would start a garden.
... I would weed and hoe more.

Well thanks for all the wrong responses.

... I would start to work my way down my priority list.

See, if you have a good system, the garden will take care of itself. Weeds, they can go another day or 2 or even a week. And besides, you are in the habit of walking into the garden with a oscillating hoe in hand and, with a quick hit, a newly seeded bed or borders to the garden are tidied up as you walk by - time spent 3.5 minutes. Watering? Well you know it won't mean the garden dies off. See you built soil and mulched so that your vigorous plants have reserves in the roots. Anyway, you have a hose ready in the garden. It is attached to your sprinkler or drip hose. You set the timer device on the faucet to 1 hour. Done! - time spent 60 seconds.

So it is your system and you are part of that system. For example, all beds are fifteen and the sprinkler is tuned to hit a bed on the left and right with coverage for 15 feet. You develop the system. Pick someone's, anyone's. Just start it and refine it for yourself. You don't even think about it; you are integrated and it runs on it's own with a minimal mental and physical effort.

So instead you of "weed more" you have all this free time. And wisely you've taken some notes (perhaps just mental notes) in the form of a priority list. Like what?

If I only had the time ... (list item goes here)

... I would expand the garden and try some herbs/corn/celeriac/etc
... I would do some groovy garden furniture/trellising/gravel on a central pathway with focal point on a pond/fountain/sculpture
... I would put up a marten birdhouse
... I would add bird feeders in the garden to put my allies to war with the bugs
... I would experiment with red mulch for the tomatoes and aluminum foil mulch for the squash

Get it? Now how would you finish the sentence? Add it to the comments.