BY NICOLE JOHNSEY BURKE

There are moments in life when the simplest questions from a child can spark a profound shift.

One summer, as I juggled a baby on my hip and tried not to burn the grilled cheese, my four-year-old asked, “Mommy, when are you going to build me a garden?”

Her timing was comically bad—my days were a blur of diapers, errands, and exhaustion. Yet, for her, gardening was not a someday dream but a pressing need, as real and immediate as lunch.

She didn’t care about the chaos or the mess. She cared about gardening—her garden. And despite my laughter at the impossibility of the request, her persistence wore down my resistance.

Secretly, I wanted a garden too. So, we started with what we had: a patch of dirt, a handful of seeds, and the long days of summer stretching ahead.

That first garden was far from perfect. The timing was wrong, we were renting, and I was overwhelmed. Yet, every morning, afternoon, and evening, my daughter was out there—checking on her potatoes, measuring her sunflowers, swinging from the deck and watching her little plot grow. She didn’t notice the failures, only the wonder. We learned, we laughed, and we promised to try again.

The most important thing was that we began.

Looking back, I am grateful for that summer of imperfect timing. It carved out a space in my life that remains reserved for gardening—not because life slowed down (in fact, it only sped up), but because I became clear about what the garden needed from me, and what I needed from the garden in return.

Modern life, with its relentless pace and digital distractions, can easily pull us away from nature, from the rhythms of the seasons, and from the simple act of growing food. But time, I’ve learned, is not kept by clocks or calendars. It is marked in the garden: by the feel of the soil, the warmth of the sun, and the cycle of planting and harvest.

If you’ve ever laughed at the idea of starting a garden because you’re “too busy,” or longed for a deeper connection to nature and your food but couldn’t find the time, you are not alone. The truth is, gardening doesn’t require endless hours or expert knowledge. It asks only that you begin, and that you return—even if only for a few minutes each day.

This is not about transforming your life overnight or growing all your own food. It’s about finding small pockets of time—five minutes here and there—to step outside, tend a plant, and nurture something that nurtures you in return. It’s gardening for the rest of us: busy people who want to live more fully, not just add another item to the to-do list.

Why Gardening

When people say they don’t garden, it’s rarely because they truly lack the ability. More often, it’s a question of time, habit, and confidence. We tell ourselves we have brown thumbs, or that we’re too busy to learn.

But the real challenge is finding a way to fit gardening into our lives so it becomes a habit—something we do as naturally as making coffee or walking the dog.

Habits that stick are the ones we do daily, even if only for a few minutes. Five minutes may not seem like much, but it’s enough to water a bed, thin a patch of seedlings, or harvest a handful of herbs. Over time, these small acts accumulate, and before you know it, you’ve become a gardener.

The first step is to ask yourself why you want to garden. Is it for the joy of harvesting fresh food? To spend more time outside with your family? To find a moment of calm in a busy day? Whatever your reason, let it guide you.

For me, the garden is a center of health and happiness—a place to move my body, breathe fresh air, create beauty, and eat well. It’s where I go to reconnect with myself and the world around me. Each season brings new goals and opportunities.

Setting Intentions and Goals

Once you know your “why,” you can set simple, meaningful goals. I like to choose three for the year and three for each season. At least one is always about eating—after all, gardening is meant to nourish.

Goals that are easy to measure are the ones we’re most likely to keep. The best prompts for gardening are the rhythms of daily life: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each meal is a reminder to step outside, snip some herbs, or check on the lettuce.

Here are some examples of goals that have kept me growing:

• Eat from the garden every day. Whether it’s a sprig of mint in my tea or a salad of homegrown greens, I aim to enjoy something I’ve grown every day.

• Make my world better. This might mean planting more native flowers for pollinators, improving my composting, or sharing a harvest with a neighbor.

• Enjoy the garden daily. It’s easy to forget that pleasure is a worthy goal. I make time to sit, walk, or simply be in the garden, often with my family or friends.

Remember, as the seasons shift, so too may your goals and intentions. In the cold months, I focus on growing sprouts or microgreens indoors, making herbal teas, or bringing cut flowers to the table. As the weather warms, the goals shift to planting, tending, and harvesting.

The key is to break big ambitions into small, daily actions. Five minutes at a time, you move closer to your vision.

A Simple System for Every Season

Gardening can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new or short on time. But by dividing the year into seasons, months, weeks, and even times of day, it becomes manageable and even fun.

Here’s how to make the most of your minutes:

• Start with your season. Are you in the cold, cool, warm, or hot part of the year? Each brings its own possibilities.

• Focus on the month. The first month of each season is for planting, the second for tending, the third for harvesting.

• Break it down by week. Assign simple tasks: plant big plants in week one, sow seeds in week two, tend in week three, harvest in week four.

• Use your days wisely. Match tasks to the days you have the most time, and let the rest be easy.

• Notice the time of day. Mornings might be best for planting, midday for watering, evenings for harvesting.

You don’t need to do it all at once. Five minutes, whenever you can find them, is enough.

Living by the Arc of the Seasons

The garden teaches us to notice time in new ways. We see it in the bare branches of winter, the first pink buds of spring, the lush green of summer, and the golden leaves of autumn. We feel it in the warmth of the sun, the cool of the morning, and the crispness of frost.

Our senses guide us through the year: the scent of blossoms, the hum of bees, the taste of ripe fruit. Each season has its gifts, and each asks us to pay attention.

Wherever you live, your seasons create a natural arc—from the coldest days, through the rising warmth, to the heat of summer, and back again. Understanding this arc helps you know what to plant, when to tend, and when to harvest. It frees you from the idea that there’s a “perfect” time to start.

The best time is always now.

Begin by learning your local climate—the average highs and lows for each month. This will tell you when the cold, cool, warm, and hot seasons arrive in your area. Not every place has all four, but most have at least two. Let your garden follow the rhythm of your region, not someone else’s.

There’s No Wrong Time to Begin

The beauty of gardening is that it welcomes you at any moment. Whether you have a sprawling yard or a sunny windowsill, whether it’s January or July, there is always something you can grow. The important thing is to start, and to return, even if only for five minutes.

Over time, these small acts become a practice—a way of living more intentionally, more joyfully, and more connected to the world around you. The garden becomes not just a place, but a way of being.

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Nicole Johnsey Burke, the founder of Gardenary, Inc and author of The 5-Minute Gardener, Kitchen Garden Revival and Leaves, Roots & Fruit, is on a mission to bring back the kitchen garden and make it an ordinary part of life for everyone, no matter their level of gardening experience.

Since starting her own kitchen garden business in 2015, Burke and her company have built hundreds of kitchen gardens, taught thousands of students to create their own through her online courses and Gardenary 365, and trained hundreds of garden consultants through the Garden Coach Society.

Her work has been featured in Southern Living, This Old House, Modern Farmer, and the Garden Club of America. She believes kitchen gardens are a step that everyone can take to create positive change.

To find more tips and tricks for building your own kitchen garden, follow her on Instagram @gardenaryco, visit her online at www.gardenary.com and download the Gardenary app from your favorite app store.

Well Being Journal adapted the above excerpts from The 5-Minute Gardener by Nicole Johnsey Burke. Copyright © 2025 by Nicole Johnsey Burke, and reprinted with permission from Hay House.