Gardening can be hard work, but as one Instagrammer recently showed, lazy gardening tips and tricks can help make light work of seemingly time-consuming tasks.
The scoop
A hack shared by Erin (@newcastlefarmgirl) on Instagram demonstrates an easy way to save peas for planting the following year.
Once the peas are done producing for the year, Erin leaves the remaining peas where they are until they dry out to a crisp before collecting them to save for planting the next year. This simple hack saves time and removes the need to find space to dry the peas elsewhere.
Getting a rattling sound when shaking the peas lets you know that they are dried up and ready for collecting and storing.
"Eventually they'll dry up to a perfect pea for storage and replanting," Erin wrote in the video caption.
How it's helping
Gardening hacks like these help make growing your own produce enjoyable and not too time-consuming. Growing fruits and vegetables can be a great way to get nutritious food on your plate and save money at the same time. Fortunately, it doesn't always need a lot of space. Some produce can be grown on balconies or even in window boxes.
Growing your own food also has several health benefits, including helping you to eat more fiber. Some studies suggest home-grown food is more nutrient-rich, as you can choose when to harvest it. Meanwhile, store-bought fruits and veggies are often picked before they are ready to ensure a steady stream of produce is available in the stores.
Gardening also gives people the freedom to decide what kind of fertilizers and pesticides are used or if they are needed at all. This is important because many chemical fertilizers and pesticides negatively impact the environment by polluting our waterways and harming important wildlife, such as pollinators, which play a significant role in food production.
Gardening is also a great way to get outside, which has been shown to be beneficial for both our physical and mental health.
What everyone's saying
The post received over 150 likes, and several commenters shared the OP's enthusiasm for "lazy" gardening hacks.
"Love it! I'm all about lazy gardening," one commenter wrote.
"Love that little rattle sound lets me know," another wrote about the sound the peas make once they are dried.
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