A little pressed for time? Or maybe strapped for cash?

Not feeling motivated to break your back simply to have a flower bed or some tomato plants?

Then this article is for you!

There are ways to work around limited space, limited time, limited funds, and YES, even limited motivation when it comes to growing your garden.

In a suburban neighborhood, it is unusual to have a large-scale garden encompass the entirety of a front Lawn. In fact, some Homeowner's Associations simply won't stand for it.

If you have been following my blog, Salt and Pepper The Earth, for a while, you may remember when, two years ago, its sudden presence caused a bit of a stir.Last summer, I launched a backyard gardening project which could possibly rival thefront yard and side yard gardens in that it was something completely different from the traditional method I'd previously employed.

A bag garden!

I deeply regretted not taking more step-by-step photos of the creation of the front yard and sides garden plots, so I endeavored to be fastidious in documenting the step-by-step progress of this project.

Do you also find that capturing images helps you to “see” what you’ve accomplished?

Does picture-taking alter your focus?

You can make a bag garden, too!

It doesn't have to encompass your entire yard-it can just be one or two, or a few, bags to start with.

I'd reported earlier this summer on container gardening, and how anyone can make it work for them. You can read about how you can get started doing container gardening in my post right HERE ON ODYSSEY!

My planting concept in the backyard was different than either the front or side yards. It didn't call for a lot of fancy tools or expensive equipment.

Plus, it involved much less work, hassle, and absolutely ZERO DIGGING.

Rather than using a rototiller to remove the grass, I put down a weed block material that's function is to deprive the grass (a weed which would choke out the plants that you want to thrive) of sun, water and nutrients, eventually killing it off.

Make sure to would only put down the weed block in as large an area as you wish to protect and grow your garden. Because I utilize the entirety of my lot, the pictures demonstrate the concept on a much larger scale:

The bags of soil, which I normally would have used in the creation of creating rows for planting, are actually going to remain intact with the exception of "x" marks cut for the seedlings to sprout from, and the surrounding dirt environment is protected from weeds.

The bags themselves will function as containers for the seedlings. The portability of the bags will allow me to make placement adjustments to allow for more or less sunlight exposure. I can also move the bags if certain plants appear to need more room to sprawl as they grow.

This bag garden is a little different than conventional gardening in that you have to watch out for issues such as drainage and root development. Make sure that your bags have sufficient "x" marks cut on the underside to allow for both. If some plants become too large, they may eventually need transplanting into a container which can be purchased inexpensively at a hardware or home and garden retailer.

Make sure that your bags have sufficient "x" marks cut on the underside to allow for both. If some plants become too large, they may eventually need transplanting into a container which can be purchased inexpensively at a hardware or home and garden retailer.

A lot of times they will give them to you for free if you ask nicely!

To add aesthetic appeal and to weigh down the weed-block fabric, I used organic cypress mulch and I have begun mulching around my "containers".

Don't get overwhelmed by a BIG project, just start as small as you like.

Why not grab one or two bags of soil and try your hand at bag gardening in a small, sunny section of your yard? Or, if you are more ambitious, you might want to square off a larger area and purchase some weed block (can be purchased at Walmart or Home & Garden shops) and get going!

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED:

Household Scissors: Use to cut the weed block appropriate lengths for maximum coverage.

Pocket knife: Efficient for cutting an "X" into the tops of the soil bags to allow for transplanted seedlings.

Metal teaspoon: The absolute ideal vehicle for scooping out seedlings and replanting while maintaining each root system's integrity. (My mom taught me that!) Before applying this method, I was killing off about 50 percent of my seedlings during transplanting. It was a perpetual bloodbath.

Tools of the trade. :-)

These are basic items that anyone would have in their household. You don't have to go out and buy the entire Home & Garden section to become a gardener. Just go out there and get your hands dirty!

Wishing you sunlight, luck, and rain!

Questions? Feel free to send me a message on Twitter @saltandpepperth or Instagram kristen.polito, or visit saltandpepperthearth.com and click on the Gardening Links for All My Posts on Plants!