The 5-Minute Gardener: Year-Round Garden Habits for Busy People

by Nicole Johnsey Burke

The perfect gift to nurture a year-round gardening habit with just five minutes every day, from the author of Kitchen Garden Revival and Leaves, Roots & Fruit. Do you find joy in seeing a plant grow from seed to flower? Has your main setback for maintaining a successful garden been finding enough time to tend it?Whether you have a windowsill garden or a backyard full of flora, finding time for gardening can seem impossible. But with Nicole Johnsey Burke, author of Kitchen Garden Revival and founder of Gardenary, Inc., as your guide, you'll discover how just five minutes a day can lead to a lush and thriving garden and a healthier you, strategiesSeasonal gardening plansProven habit-building techniquesHealth and well-being benefitsNicole equips you with the know-how you need to make five minutes a day the basis for weekly, monthly, and eventually year-round maintenance of your greenery. Experience the joy and mindfulness that comes with tending to your very own garden, in your very own home, backyard, or balcony.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2025

Reviews

[Nanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author’s passion for gardening comes through on every page. She has lived and gardened in three different cities, each with different climates. I bought the book after enjoying several of her free online classes. She endeavors to spread her enthusiasm and love of gardening by offering free online classes, helpful advice via internet, and even free seeds. In particular, I found the chapter in the book on transitioning from cool to warm season immensely useful. She is very encouraging and has many insightful comments throughout the book. I highly recommend this book if you’re feeling frustrated or discouraged about your garden. This book will get you back on track to finding the enjoyment of gardening.

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great beginners guide from planting to harvesting and even some recipes.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicole Burke wrote The 5-Minute Gardener for busy people like herself who want to garden and grow their own food but feel like they don't have the time they need. Her premise is that in 5-minutes a day you can grow some of your own food. I picked this one up because I'm always looking at gardening books to get ideas. I also tend to procrastinate (or time just gets away from me) when it comes to my garden so I thought this book could help me work on the garden year-round in smaller increments.

What I liked:
She doesn't organize the book by Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Instead she organizes it by Cold Season, Cool Season, Warm Season, and Hot Season - because the months that these fall for you will be different depending on where you live. I really liked that. Also, she emphasizes you don't have to start at the "right" time - just start in whatever season you're currently in and do a few things, then build up over time.

What I didn't like:
She is VERY into sprouts and microgreens, which is fine, but that was a LOT of the daily 5 minute suggestions and recipe suggestions, especially in the cold and cool season chapters. It's also pretty repetitive overall. I found myself kind of skimming toward the end because the tips and suggestions were almost all the same just with different plants depending on the season.

Overall, it does have some good tips. If you're into sprouts and microgreens you will definitely enjoy this one. I found the book too repetitive for me personally but I do think it highlights that you can do a little something everyday to create a garden or build up good habits.

[Shanen Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 minute packed every second

This book is packed full of useful applied information to year round gardening. Got the kindle version but definitely need the hard back as well to make notes and have in my hands daily. Great resource to keep and hand down to younger generation.

[A_s · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

I was quite excited for this book. I waited weeks (months?), to get this book from the library. I loved the idea of learning new ways to fit more gardening in my day to day. I thought, 5 minutes is all I have some days, this is exactly what I need.

The author summed it up nicely at the beginning of the book. She found it difficult to emulate gardening tasks in books, and online when those people are gardening in different locations, different seasons and different gardens. So she created this step by step workbook specifically around growing veg year round, to take out the uncertainty of not knowing how to apply gardening information to your own garden, in 5 min increments.

Unfortunately that's nothing near what I am looking for. I didn't find much in this book to be relatable to my garden.

[Ashley Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational, though I wish it got more technical. I rated it [4/5] rather than [3.5/5] because that doesn't seem to be Nicole's goal.

Instead, what you have is a very "I made a garden, let me show you how YOU can as well!" book. Which I greatly appreciate. It helps you pace tasks and enjoy the garden you're making in real time. What plants to start when. I'd say that, once you have the basics of starting / planting vegetables and flowers, this book is a tremendous second step to make sure it becomes a planned, consistent aspect of your life. But it won't teach you basics.

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find this book as helpful as her first two, in terms of new info to me, but I do think that if you struggle to know what to do next or keep yourself on track in the garden, this could be helpful. Also, I love the idea that gardening can be year round, and a habit, and part of your everyday life.

[Chelsie Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book on Gardening in all seasons

I learned a lot from this book. I had no idea that what you plant in your garden depends on the "season". I've always thought gardening was just a summer thing. Very enlightened. So many possibilities to garden year-round

[Maureen M Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! it was such a pleasant read- I read it on vacation when I was missing my garden and it gave me some new fun ideas to try. I do admit it was a little repetitive but I just loved reading it anyway.

[Amélie Kantakis · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for me; i guess this was more targeted towards beginners, so i found it lacked what i was looking for. However i could see the benefit of reading this if you're someone getting initiated to the world of gardening.

[Shannon Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I try to model peace for my kiddos, I find taking time in the garden helps me to recharge and achieve a calmer demeanor. I’m hoping this helps me to maximize my small windows of time and help me to make the space all it can be. I can’t wait to implement these practices at season change.