A while back I asked my followers a simple question. What's your biggest gardening challenge?
I expected a variety of answers. Knowing what to plant. Finding time. Dealing with pests. The usual things gardeners wrestle with.
What I got surprised me — though honestly it probably shouldn't have.
About 80% of you said weeds. The rest said watering.
That's it. Two things. And here's what's remarkable about that — both of them are almost entirely solvable. Not with more time or more effort, but with two simple things you can put in place right now in May that will change how your whole summer feels.
Mulch and a soaker hose.
I know. It sounds too simple. But I've been gardening for more than 40 years and I can tell you that these two things have done more to reduce my garden workload than almost anything else I've ever tried. Let me tell you why.
The Weeding Problem — And the Fix That Actually Works
Weeds are the thing that makes gardeners feel like they're losing. You clear a bed, feel good about it, and two weeks later it looks like you never touched it. It's demoralizing. And it's one of the main reasons people start to dread going outside.
Here's the truth about weeds — they need light to germinate. Most weed seeds sitting in your soil will stay dormant as long as they can't get to the light. The moment you disturb the soil and leave it bare, you're giving them exactly what they need.
Mulch takes that away from them.
A proper 3-inch layer of mulch laid over the soil around your plants blocks the light weed seeds need to sprout. The ones that do push through are weak and pull out easily — nothing like the deep-rooted battle you'd have in bare soil.
But here's the part people often miss. Mulch does more than suppress weeds. It holds moisture in the soil, which means your plants stay hydrated longer after rain or watering. It regulates soil temperature, keeping roots cooler on hot days. And it breaks down slowly over time, improving your soil as it goes.
One afternoon in May spreading mulch — a proper 3-inch layer, not a thin sprinkle — and your beds stay cleaner, healthier, and lower maintenance from now until autumn.
If you're going to do one thing in your garden this weekend, this is it.
If you'd like my best tips for making mulching easier — including how much to buy and the best way to apply it — I've put together a full guide on the blog. You can find it here: https://therelaxedgardener.com/blogs/gardeningsimplified/tips-for-success-with-mulching
The Watering Problem — And Why Most Gardeners Are Doing It Wrong
Watering is the other thing that quietly runs gardeners ragged. The daily checking, the guilt when you miss a day, the plants that wilt the moment things get hot.
I learned something important about watering when I worked with my landscaper on a large planting project at the front of our home. We planned the whole area together — low-maintenance shrubs, trees, perennials — and I had put a significant amount of money into those plants. I was not about to lose them.
I knew about soaker hoses and suggested we incorporate one into the plan — and it turned out to be a complete game changer.
A soaker hose runs along the base of your plants and releases water slowly and directly into the soil — right where the roots are. No evaporation from spraying into the air. No water landing on leaves and encouraging disease. Just steady, deep moisture going exactly where it needs to go.
What I loved most was the simplicity of it. I turned on the water, went about my day, and came back in about an hour later knowing that my plants had been correctly watered and were getting a great start. No standing with a hose. No guessing. No guilt.
And here's the deeper reason soaker hoses work so well — deep, infrequent watering grows deep roots. When water reaches down 6 inches or more into the soil, roots follow it down. Deep roots mean plants that can handle a hot day, a missed watering, a weekend away. Plants that are resilient instead of dependent.
Daily shallow watering does the opposite. It keeps roots near the surface, where they're vulnerable to heat and drought. And it keeps you tied to the garden every single day.
A soaker hose in your in-ground beds or raised beds, set to run once or twice a week for 45 minutes to an hour, handles your watering with almost no effort on your part. For container gardens, the watering equation is a little different — containers dry out more quickly than in-ground beds — but the principle of deep, less frequent watering still applies.
If you're ready to install a soaker hose and want step-by-step instructions, I've got a complete guide on the blog that walks you through the whole process. Find it here: https://therelaxedgardener.com/blogs/gardeningsimplified/spending-too-much-time-watering-1
When you have mulched beds and a soaker hose system in place, your garden stops feeling like a constant demand on your time.
The weeds that used to take hours every week are barely a presence. The watering that had you checking plants every day is handled. And suddenly you're outside enjoying your garden instead of working through a to-do list every time you step out the door.
This is what low-maintenance gardening actually looks like in practice. Not neglect. Not a bare or boring garden. A garden that's been set up intelligently so it can largely care for itself — and free you up to enjoy it.
May is the perfect time to do this. The season is just getting going. Get these two things in place now and you'll feel the difference all summer long.
One More Thing Worth Mentioning
If containers are part of your garden — or if you've been thinking about making them a bigger part of your summer — I have something that might help. The Container Gardening Secret Sauce Mini-Course walks you through setting up containers for the lowest maintenance and the best chance of success. The right pot, the right mix, the right plants, and how to care for them so they thrive all season without running you ragged.
Early bird pricing is still available at $27 — that's $20 off the regular price. If you'd like to take a look, the link is below. 🌿
https://therelaxedgardener.com/pages/container-gardening-secret-sauce-course-signup-page
