Water, Weeds & a Whole Lot of Waiting:
How I Keep My Urban Backyard Garden Alive
People talk about the harvest, the recipes, the joy of fresh food, but rarely do they mention how much of gardening is just… waiting.
And weeding.
And watering.
And waiting some more.
The excitement hits hard in winter, when you’re dreaming up garden plans, flipping through seed catalogs, and imagining lush summer beds. Then spring arrives and you’re outside every chance you get. Building, planting, soaking up the sun, and watching those dreams take root.
But what happens when the to-do list gets shorter?
When the major work is done, the beds are planted, and the daily chores shrink down to a few quiet tasks?
You wait.
One of the main reasons I got into plants in the first place (not gardening, but the simple act of keeping plants alive) was to build my patience. That patience gets tested right around late spring to early summer. Most of the heavy lifting is behind me, and now it’s just a matter of keeping things alive until the harvest comes.
This year (2025), Pittsburgh’s rainy spring made it tough for pollinators to reach my flowering cucumbers and zucchini. And when I say tough, I mean really tough. Some days, it feels like all that effort might not lead to anything.
I’ve caught myself thinking:
"Will I even get a harvest?"
"Am I really cut out to be a farmer if I’m struggling to grow food in my backyard?"
Maybe those questions are tied to my bigger aspirations, but if you’ve been gardening for a while, I’m guessing you’ve asked yourself something similar at one time or another.
In moments like these, the only thing to do is stay the course. Stick to the plan you made back in December.
Trust the process.
Since I’ve been unemployed since January, I’ve had more time than ever to pour into my garden. Tend, tweak, and pivot when needed. You might not have that same flexibility.
So take what’s helpful from this post and make it your own.
Because the truth is: plants are forgiving.
Every morning, I start with coffee in the garden. It sounds romantic, I know, but this ain’t a mindfulness ritual (yet). It’s recon. I’m scanning the beds and asking:
What’s wrong and needs to be fixed?
What’s working?
What projects have I been putting off?
That early routine helps shape the rest of my day. And most of the time? That work still involves weeding.
Here are a few of my regular daily tasks:
Pruning
I’ll give my peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, or anything, really, a quick trim. Just enough to promote new growth and remove old or low-hanging leaves. I don’t overdo it, I only prune what’s necessary dead or diseased leaves. Minimal stress is the goal, f I see a need for a quick trim I will.
Trellising
Lemon Cucumber Growing Up Trellis
This is a close-up shot of a lemon cucumber vine climbing a vertical white trellis pole. A single ripe, round yellow cucumber is nestled among vibrant green leaves and tiny yellow flowers. You can see the plant’s tendrils beginning to grasp and reach upward, showing how well it takes to trellising.
I try to trellis crops right after transplanting, especially vining types like cucumbers. Starting early just makes life easier. Some of my cucumbers are already at the top of their trellis, so I’ve been brainstorming low-impact ways to extend them upward.
Photos & Videos
From day one, I knew I wanted to document this journey.
Alex Hormozi once said,
“You will get more views, followers, and influence by not making content for years and using the extra time to accomplish something epic. Then, make your content.”
A tweet by Alex Hormozi (@AlexHormozi) posted on March 26, 2025, at 6:20 AM.
Golden Gladiolus Blooming in the Garden
That stuck with me. So I waited, I made my Instagram a year after coming up with the idea. I started this blog only when I knew I had something worth listening to. I take pictures when the light hits just right. I don’t want my garden to look boring. I want it to look alive. Good lighting makes all the difference.
Mulching
Mulching was a practice that I was excited for going into this season.
Mulching is the practice of covering the soil with a layer of material to improve plant health and soil conditions.
Mulching helps with weed pressure and water retention. It helps with protecting the leaves from disease caused by splashing on bare soil. It keeps the soil cool in the summer months and warm during early spring. Best of all, depending on the mulch you use, it will decompose and improve your soil over time. If you aren’t mulching, you need to start.
There are two categories:
Organic:
Leaves,
Wood chips
Grass clippings
Straw, compost
Inorganic:
Plastic
Landscape fabric
Gravel
Stones
This season, I used what I had. I had an abundance of fallen leaves from the previous autumn and figured there was no point in spending more money than I needed to lol.
Be aware that with leaf mulch you will need to grind them up in order for it to work optimally.
Throwing whole leaves on your bed over time will cause matting. It’ll be hard for water to penetrate the soil beneath.
When two trees fell on my house during a storm (a blessing and a curse depending on how you look at it lol), the cleanup crew left behind a huge pile of wood chips.
As I would like Prairie Dog Farms in the future to be an Organic + No-Till operation, there’s a quote I’ve kept in mind while building this garden.
Keep the soil covered at all times.
Or as best as you can.
The wood chips have become a mulch for my pathways. Helping with weed pressure and keeping the soil covered. Over time the wood chips will decompose and improve the soil below.
One issue I’m facing now is rainfall pushing chips from the paths into the beds. It’s a minor annoyance, not a huge issue, but one that I would like to get a handle on later down the road. Small problem, easy fix.
Watering
I water either in the early morning or after the heat breaks in the evening. Irrigation systems are great if you have them, but if not, DIY works. Before I had a watering can, I used repurposed water bottles with thumbtack holes in the cap. Just make sure you’re watering the base of the plant to reach the roots directly. This will also help with stopping the spread of disease from water splashing the soil up onto the leaves.
Remember:
Watering leaves invites disease.
If the heat’s intense, I’ll mist the leaves to cool things down. Even if most of that moisture evaporates. Think of it like the misters at an amusement park. By the time you get on the ride you’re dry, but also not suffering from head exhaustion lol.
Record-Keeping
I’ll admit,
I’m not the best at tracking things yet.
Record keeping and note taking are two tasks that I need to get better at.
I like to think that my pictures are a form of record keeping as my phone does have them timestamped and dated.
I would implore you to try and get into the habit of recording keeping and note taking early in your gardening journey. You'll be able to quickly identify what’s working, what went wrong, what crops work well in your environment, pest pressure and how your efforts to remediate them are working. You will not only start to develop confidence in yourself as a gardener, but you will start to learn more about the crops that are calling your backyard home.
Weeding
Still not my favorite chore. I enjoy the results
Clear beds.
Better airflow.
Less competition.
But the act itself?
Boring.
Like a never-ending Karate Kid scene: wax on, wax off. But I know it’s making me better. I’ve gotten sharper at identifying what doesn’t belong.
Some days I genuinely feel like I’m in The Sims. Not in the “set the house on fire by accident” way, but in that oddly satisfying, slow-burn skill-building way. You know when your Sim keeps doing a mundane task, over and over, and then all of a sudden: Level Up. That’s what weeding feels like sometimes. Every weed I pull, every bed I mulch, every morning I show up for my plants? It’s adding XP. It might not look flashy, but it’s leveling me up.
That goofy little sparkle animation with the green diamond above your head? That’s exactly how it felt the day I realized:
“Yo…I’m actually getting good at this.”
And just like that ding Level 6 in Weeding unlocked.
One of my old bosses once said (and I’m paraphrasing here):
“There are no bad plants. There are inherently no bad plants. Just plants in the wrong place. That’s all a weed really is.”
Weeding still isn't fun. But now I know how to identify what’s a weed and what’s not. I move through the garden with more confidence. I make quicker decisions.
Harvesting: The Payoff and the Practice
Once the garden hits its stride and the harvest starts rolling in, you’d think the hard part is over. But harvesting, especially in a backyard garden, isn’t just about picking produce and snapping cute photos.
It’s another form of maintenance. One with its own rhythm, rules, and rewards.
A Few Harvest Tips
Pick often, pick early.
Harvesting vegetables like zucchini, beans, cucumbers, and peppers while they’re still young and tender not only improves taste, it signals the plant to keep producing.Letting produce sit too long can slow or even stop new growth.
Check every day (even when you’re tired).
Some crops grow fast, like, “How did this zucchini double overnight?” fast. A quick daily scan prevents surprises, catches problems early, and helps you stay ahead of pests, rot, or disease.Use clean tools or hands.
Snipping with sanitized pruners or gently twisting fruits off with dry hands helps reduce the risk of transferring fungus, bacteria, or pests between plants.Harvesting is pruning in disguise.
Removing spent flowers, dead leaves, or oversized fruit clears space for new growth. It also improves airflow, which helps keep diseases down, especially in humid gardens like mine here in Pittsburgh.Less waste, more intention.
Frequent harvesting helps you use food while it’s fresh. You’ll waste less and be more intentional about what you grow next season.It’s therapeutic.
There’s something grounding about crouching next to your plant, gently pulling off a ripe tomato or pepper. Harvesting forces you to slow down, be present, and notice the progress you might’ve missed during all that waiting.
Harvesting a Backyard Cucumber
The more often I harvest, the more my plants give back. Regular picking encourages more growth. Skip a few days and suddenly you’re dealing with overgrown veggies, stressed plants, or worse, rot and pests.
But beyond the biology, harvesting keeps me connected. It reminds me to slow down and see what’s growing, what’s fading, and what needs attention.
Some days it’s a handful of cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil. Other days, I’m filling baskets, wondering what I’m going to do with this much kale. Either way, harvesting brings me back to that first reason I started gardening in the first place:
To grow something with my own two hands. To keep showing up.
It’s a grounding practice, just like watering or weeding
But way more delicious.
Tending the Garden, Tending the Self
So I keep showing up.
For my garden.
For my peace of mind.
Because it’s not just about food. It’s about tending to what you can, letting go of what you can’t, and trusting the process. It’s about consistency and embracing the muddy middle.
If you’ve got a garden, even a pot of herbs on your windowsill, I believe you’ll find yourself drawn to it at some point during the day.
Whether it’s grabbing dinner ingredients, checking in before work, or simply sitting in the space you helped create… you’ll be back.
In this season of waiting, what small wins can you celebrate?
Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram
Let’s grow through it together 🌱
