The Get Outside (in the Garden) Every Day of May Challenge

Spring can be an overwhelming time of year, with all of the yard work and gardening tasks to be done, along with our already busy schedules. Sometimes it’s hard to make the time to get out in the garden and get all the work done. And once you start getting behind, the tasks pile up and become a heavy chore on your mind rather than something to look forward to.

This is why I’m inviting you to join me in the Get Outside Challenge. Sign up with the form below now, or read on for more information.

Update: I’ve removed the sign up form until I run the challenge again. Check back later for future Get Outside challenges.

Gardening is supposed to be fun and relaxing, but it’s not uncommon to get overwhelmed with the work involved and the passing days that quickly turn from spring to summer. That overwhelm can easily lead to throwing your hands in the air and leaving your gardening aspirations to next year. 

I feel it. The pressure to get everything done in the garden on that one sunny weekend and coming up short. But I’ve found that gardening isn’t best experienced weekend-warrior-style.  Think of it this way, gardening can’t work its magic on us if we don’t regularly visit the garden, to begin with.

So I’ve made a goal for myself, to help tone down the overwhelm and bring joy back into gardening. My goal is to get outside to the garden every day, even if I don’t get anything done. Usually, I’ll end up getting something done, and I almost always finish feeling better than when I started.

Beyond getting outside every day, I’m challenging myself to take a picture while I’m out there and post it to social media daily. This is a harder challenge for me, but if I’m going to inspire others to get outside too, then I’ve got to show that I’m doing it, not just do it.

The Get Outside (in the Garden) Every Day of May Challenge

Since this habit of getting outside every day has helped me enjoy gardening more and also get more done while I’m at it, I thought it would be fun to share it as a Challenge for the month of May. I’m calling it the Get Outside (in the Garden) Every Day of May Challenge. That’s a mouthful, so I’m calling it The Get Outside Challenge for short.

This challenge is about that critical step of getting outside daily and bringing joy back into gardening.

What You Can Expect When You Join The Get Outside Challenge

For the month of May, I’ll send out weekly emails that remind and motivate us to go outside. I’ll also share some printable PDFs (a garden observation journal page and a spring garden task checklist). The PDFs are completely optional, so take them or leave them. I’ll also post daily on Instagram and Facebook. (This is the biggest part of the challenge for me, so let’s see if I actually make a post every day!)

What The Get Outside Challenge Is Not

I won’t be teaching gardening in this challenge. It’s not a gardening course, but a challenge to get you outside in your garden daily. If you’re looking for a gardening course, check out Rick Stone’s courses from Our Stony Acres (affiliate link). I’ve taken several of his courses and they’ve all been excellent. 

In the Get Outside Challenge, I won’t add to the overwhelm with lengthy to-do lists or “should-be-doings.” The only requirement for this challenge is actually getting outside in the garden in May. The rest is there to take or leave as it pleases you. It doesn’t matter if you build five raised beds and plant a hundred plants, or if you sit and meditate for ten minutes. As long as you’re getting outside to your garden daily (or nearly daily), you’ll succeed with the challenge.

If you miss a day, that’s okay, too. We all have busy lives and sometimes you might not make it outside. Try to make it, of course, but don’t let missing one day stop you from getting outside the next day.

Along those same lines, don’t compare what you do when you go outside to what others do. It’s not a race or a competition. Just do the things that make you happy, remembering why you wanted to grow a garden in the first place.

Your Garden is For You

Everybody’s gardens and gardening practices will look different. Some will grow rows and rows of annual vegetables, others will grow mostly perennials in forest gardens. Some might grow tomatoes and peppers in containers on their patio, or have a little patch of herbs and cut-and-come-again lettuce outside their kitchen door. Others might not have a yard to garden in, but rent a plot in their local community garden.

Decide what “getting out in the garden” means to you, and do that. If daily doesn’t work for you, then figure out what does work and do that. Maybe you only have one day a week when you can actually work in the garden. Don’t let that stop you from getting outside on the other days, even if it’s just for five minutes to check on things and breath fresh air.

How to Participate in The Get Outside Challenge

Does this challenge sound interesting to you? If so, I’d love for you to join!

Here’s what to do to participate:

• Sign up to receive the challenge emails.
• Follow me on social media.
• Join The Get Outside Challenge Facebook Group (a link will be provided via email once you sign up)

Once you’re in the Facebook Group, you can post your own daily garden observations if you wish.

Do I have to Participate via Social Media?

No, you don’t have to participate in social media to do this challenge, so don’t worry if you’re not on those platforms. The emails are where you’ll get the weekly reminders and motivation, along with the free PDFs.

If you are on Facebook though, please join us in the group. It adds the element of community to the challenge. I’ll be posting daily snapshots of what I see and do in my garden, and I encourage you to do the same in the Facebook group if you’re comfortable doing so.

The more people that participate, the more diverse of a community it will become, and the more fun and engaging for all.

Do I Have to Sign up for the Emails?

Pretty much, yes. Signing up and receiving the challenge emails is how to officially participate in The Get Outside Challenge. If you want to just follow along on social media you’re free to do so, but you’ll miss out on the main content, including the bonus PDFs.

By signing up for the challenge you’ll also be joining my newsletter, but it’s easy to unsubscribe at any time — no hard feelings. I send out monthly emails letting my subscribers know what’s new on the blog and I sometimes include little personal updates.

Conclusion

When we get outside every day we’re happier, healthier, and more productive, both in and out of the garden. Visiting the garden daily builds our connection with nature, helps the garden to thrive, and helps us to thrive as well. You could say that the garden and the gardener have a symbiotic relationship.

This post is different from my typical post, to be sure. But I wanted to take the time and space to explain this crazy idea I had and invite you to join in. So if the idea of challenging yourself to get outside in your garden every day in the month of May resonates with you, pop your best email address into the form below, and let’s get out in the garden!

Form removed until the challenge runs again!