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One small change that made a huge difference in *your* garden?

FireFire Posts: 19,096
in Tools and techniques
I would be interested to hear of small changes that reaped great rewards for you, perhaps unexpectedly.
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  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    Well @Fire installing an automatic watering irrigation system for the majority of my plant pots around our house has given my back a rest as well as doing the job in half the time it took me to fill and carry the watering cans.  25 pots, 3 troughs and the plants at the edge of the pond all done at the flick of a switch. A great time saver.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Grew tomatoes in containers and lined them up to get the sun. They make a great temporary green wall for one side of the patio.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    My one small change is to place hose outlets from rainwater butts at the base of new trees. All the water of my shed and house has gone on to three apple trees and they are delighted. I also siphon off bath water through a hose and move the end about on various newly planted roses. It's worked so well. Given I have little stored water, and not much space to but more butts, it seems a great way to focus the water and not have to move it manually.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Catching slugs. I'd battled for years with every method known to GW and the problem just got worse. Picking them DOES take time but very little skill is required and the difference is beyond description.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    More a mental adjustment than a physical change - that certain plants, no matter how much I love them, are just not worth the time, effort and water to keep them alive when they are not performing and are clearly unhappy in my garden/climate. however, only half the battle is won, having got that straight in my own head and a hit list in hand, I now have to persuade OH to ‘let go’ - as in physically as well as mentally, I can see an actual tug o’ war over those DA roses and that Magnolia this autumn...
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    edited August 2019
    Planting tomatoes outside this year means it's a race to get them ripe. Had forgotten how hard it is to give them the time to do it, unfortunately hubby doesn't like green tomato pickle and there is alot.🤔
  • WeaveyDaveyWeaveyDavey Posts: 575
    Progressive generation of Raised Beds for each of the main vegetable plots in my terrace garden. This process began seven years ago and has paid dividends; both in increased yields and far less BACKACHE!! The timberwork on the first such beds is now needing some renovation...however, rather than using non-tanalised secondhand roofing battens, I'm lining the beds with slates/ tiles from ongoing roofing work at Matthews Towers - photos to follow (over the next few days).
  • micearguersmicearguers Posts: 646
    Agreeing that I'd tend to the back garden and OH tends to the front garden. We have nearly diametrically opposed garden philosophies. The struggle was real, and has vanished. Bliss ensued.
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    Always having string and an Opinel knife in my pocket.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Not really a small change, but since my OH has taken over the cutting of the grass and edging, tearing, chopping and turning the compost heaps it’s given me much more time to concentrate on growing plants. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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