Because your garden shouldn’t feel like a second job you never applied for.
Ep 156: Outsource to Nature — Plants That Do the Work While You’re at Work – The Messed Up Gardener
If you’d rather listen than read, you can play the full podcast episode here on this page. (And if you’re currently wandering around your garden holding a cuppa, judging everything you haven’t done… you’re in the right place.)
Hi, I’m Esther Williams, and welcome back to The Messed-Up Gardener — mini masterclasses for real-life, muddy, slightly chaotic gardening.
And when I say “real-life”… I mean real.
Because this week my garden has mostly been surviving on thoughts and prayers while we’ve been off doing kiwifruit stuff, H&S stuff, shifting an 8-metre plastic house (because we finally admitted the spot we picked was basically a sauna), and trying to get ready for Christmas while my brain refuses to remember what day it is.
So if you’ve ever walked outside after a long day, looked at your garden, and thought:
“Why does this feel like a second job I never applied for?”
…I totally get it.
That’s why this episode — and this blog post — is all about outsourcing to nature.
Not in a woo-woo way.
In a practical way.
The kind where you say:
“Okay. Life is full. I still want a garden. What can I plant that basically… handles itself?”
What “self-maintaining” actually means (so you don’t feel lied to)
Let’s clear something up straight away:
There is no such thing as a zero-work garden.
Unless your garden is… a picture.
But there is such a thing as a low-input garden — a garden that doesn’t collapse emotionally the second you miss a weekend.
When I say “self-maintaining,” I mean a garden that:
- covers its own soil (so you’re not constantly fighting weeds and dryness)
- regrows without you having to replant everything
- doesn’t throw a tantrum if you forget it for a week
It’s basically the gardening equivalent of having friends who are chill.
Not needy.
Not dramatic.
Just quietly doing their thing in the background while you’re out there earning money and trying to survive.
And here’s the mindset shift that makes everything easier:
Your garden should be designed for your real life — not your ideal life.
Not the fantasy version where you:
- meal prep,
- meditate,
- and have matching terracotta pots that you mist at golden hour.
No.
Your garden has to work for the version of you who’s in my case:
- tired,
- busy,
- and sometimes only has ten minutes and one working brain cell.
The 3 “Nature Helpers” that do the work while you’re at work
This is where we stop trying to be superhuman… and we start hiring staff.
Not human staff.
Nature staff.
Because the easiest gardens aren’t the ones with the best gardeners.
They’re the ones with the best systems.
And one of the best systems is this:
Choose plants that protect your soil, replace themselves, and come back every year.
Here are the three types of helpers that quietly pull their weight without needing you to babysit them.
Helper #1: Groundcovers (the Weed-Blockers / Living Carpet Crew)
If your soil is sitting there bare and exposed, it’s basically an open invitation:
For weeds.
For moisture loss.
For soil crusting and cracking.
For that low-key guilt when you walk past and feel like the garden is judging you.
Because bare soil is high-maintenance soil.
And most people don’t realise this, but:
Weeds aren’t the real problem. Bare soil is.
Weeds are just nature going:
“Oh look, free real estate. I’ll just move in.”
Groundcovers are your “living carpet” plants — they spread, cover the surface, and reduce how often you need to intervene.
Think of them like a living blanket for your garden:
- They shade the soil so it doesn’t bake
- They hold moisture so you water less
- They reduce weed germination because weeds need light to start
Reality check: groundcovers don’t mean “zero weeds.”
They mean less weeds, softer weeds, and weeds that pull easier because your soil stays nicer.
The groundcover success formula
If you want groundcovers to actually work, think of it like this:
- Cover the soil fast
- Keep the soil covered always
That means choosing plants that:
- spread quickly enough to cover gaps
- handle a bit of neglect
- suit the spot (sun/shade/wet/dry)
A few groundcover options to steal
Edible groundcovers (food + weed suppression):
- Strawberries — edible, cute, spreads, doubles as living mulch
- Nasturtiums — sprawling chaos, edible leaves/flowers, fills space fast
- Kumara / sweet potato — in warm areas this thing covers ground like it’s being paid
Aromatic / pollinator-friendly groundcovers (smells good + supports bees):
- Creeping thyme — smells amazing and the bees go nuts for it
- Oregano / marjoram — spreads (depending on variety), basically a free herb patch
Hardy + doesn’t-care options (low-drama crew):
- Clover in paths or between beds
- other hardy fillers that aren’t precious
And yes… comfrey gets a mention, but with a warning label.
Comfrey isn’t a cute carpet groundcover.
It’s more like a mulch factory with strong opinions.
You plant it somewhere permanent, and it’s there forever.
But if you want a plant that grows huge leaves you can chop and drop as mulch…
Comfrey is basically your employee of the month.
Quick “make groundcover work” guide (easy mode)
- Weed once properly (I know. I know. But hear me out.)
- Plant closer than you think — gaps = weeds
- Mulch between plants until they join up (the cheat code)
- Water just long enough to establish — once it’s in, it becomes the system
My favourite line from this whole concept is:
“I’m not trying to maintain soil. I’m trying to stop exposing it.”
Because when your soil is protected, everything gets easier.
Helper #2: Self-Seeding Salad & Herb Patches (the “I’m Back Again” Crew)
This is where the lazy magic happens.
Self-seeders are plants that:
- flower
- drop seed
- and pop back up later without you doing anything
They’re not “tidy.”
They’re helpful.
And if you let them, they create little patches of salad greens and herbs that just… appear.
The reason this works so well for busy gardeners is simple:
It removes the constant mental load of:
“I should sow more… replant… keep succession planting…”
Self-seeders do their own succession planting.
Not in straight rows.
But honestly? I don’t care. Especially when I’m tired.
Self-seeding champions you’ll actually use
- Rocket/arugula — fast, reliable, pops up everywhere
- Coriander — thrives the second you stop controlling it
- Dill — great for beneficial insects and vibes
- Parsley — takes time, but once it’s in, you’ll always have some
- Lettuce — let one go to seed and you’ll get little volunteers everywhere
- Calendula — reseeds easily and brings in pollinators
- Perpetual spinach — absolute powerhouse (omelettes, steamed veg, smoothies… everything)
“But what if it takes over?”
Valid fear.
Here’s the solution:
Create a Designated Chaos Patch
Not your whole garden.
Just a corner.
A spot where you go:
“This is the self-seeding zone. You may do what you want.”
When self-seeders are contained to one zone, they become a resource, not a problem.
How to set up a chaos patch:
- Pick a small bed, pot cluster, or corner near the kitchen
- Let a few plants flower and drop seed
- When seedlings pop up, you can:
- leave them (easy)
- thin them (if you care)
- transplant them like free plants (if you’re feeling fancy)
And the best part?
On a tired week, you wander out and pick:
- a handful of rocket
- a bit of parsley
- a random lettuce
…and suddenly you’re eating fresh salads from the garden with minimal input.
Helper #3: Perennials (the “Plant Once” Crew)
Perennials are your long game.
You plant them once… and they come back every year like:
“Hi. Still here. Still thriving. Still not asking for much.”
This is how busy gardeners build stability — because perennials reduce the constant cycle of:
plant → panic → forget → lose → replant → repeat
Perennials are basically saying:
“Let’s remove a whole category of effort.”
The 3 types of perennials (so we don’t get stuck thinking it’s only flowers)
1) Perennial food plants
- Asparagus — slow to establish, then years of harvest
- Rhubarb — tough as old boots and always impressive
- Artichokes — edible sculpture, and they don’t care if you’re messy
- Perennial herbs — rosemary, thyme, sage, chives… set-and-forget flavours
2) Perennial “support plants”
Plants that support the ecosystem:
- pollinator plants
- beneficial insect attractors
- hardy shrubs for shelter
- resilience builders
3) Perennial flowers
- Lavender — tough, drought-tolerant once established, bees adore it
- Salvias — long flowering, forgiving, low fuss
- Hardy natives — brilliant “plant it and let it live” options
The perennial trick busy gardeners need
Perennials are low maintenance… but only if you do two things right at the start:
- Plant them where they can stay
- Do the establishment phase properly (because that’s when they’re needy)
Think of it like this:
Short-term effort → long-term ease.
The Big Swap: Bare Soil → Living Mulch
If you take one thing from this entire post, take this:
Bare soil is a high-maintenance habit.
And I say that with love, because we were taught a “good garden” looks like:
- neat rows
- clean soil
- everything visible
- not a leaf out of place
But in real life?
Bare soil is like leaving your front door open and acting surprised when random guests move in.
Because bare soil:
- grows weeds faster
- dries out faster
- overheats
- gets crusty and compacted
- demands constant intervention
So here’s the swap:
Instead of leaving soil exposed and trying to “stay on top of it”…
cover it.
Three ways to cover soil
Option 1: Mulch (the “put a blanket on it” method)
Wood chips, straw, leaves, grass clippings (thin layers), compost…
Mulch slows evaporation, steadies soil temperature, reduces weed seed germination, and improves soil condition.
Option 2: Plants (the living cover method)
Groundcovers, self-seeders, companion plants, fillers…
Plants shade soil, block weeds, and help soil stay moist and alive.
Option 3: Do both (best option)
Mulch helps while plants establish.
Plants take over long-term.
A system that improves with time.
The busy person way to do this (no weekend meltdown required)
- Pick ONE bed (or half a bed) that annoys you
- Weed once quickly — then cover immediately
- Apply your cover (mulch and/or plants)
- Maintain the cover layer, not the bed
A couple of quick “don’ts”:
- Don’t pile mulch right against stems
- Don’t use thick wet grass clippings in a mat
- Watch for slugs if they’re an issue where you live (just adjust — don’t panic)
And honestly? The beds I dread are always the ones with exposed soil.
The covered beds just… hold.
They don’t punish me for being busy.
They just keep going.
The simple “Outsource to Nature” starter plan
If you want to try this without overwhelming yourself, here’s your insanely doable plan:
- Pick ONE pain point area
- Cover the soil (mulch or groundcover)
- Add a small chaos patch for self-seeders
- Plant ONE perennial you’ll actually use
That’s it.
You don’t need to redesign your whole property.
You just need to stop building high-maintenance systems by accident.
Quick recap
- “Self-maintaining” = less work + more resilience
- Nature helpers:
- groundcovers
- self-seeders
- perennials
- The big swap: bare soil → living mulch
- The goal: a garden that fits your real life
Your one tiny challenge this week
Pick one small area and outsource it to nature.
Even if it’s just:
- planting a groundcover,
- letting one lettuce go to seed,
- or putting in a rosemary you can ignore for the next decade.
And if you do it, take a photo and tag @TheMessedUpGardener — I love seeing real-life gardens becoming more doable.
Until next time, remember:
Gardening can happen in any space, any place, and on any budget.
Have an incredibly abundant week… and I’ll buzz you later. 🐝
Esther Williams
The Messed Up Gardener
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