Working at Home - Quick Gardening Breaks | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

We’ve compiled a list of easy things to do while you’re at home, to help you make the most of those breaks from work. We’ve ordered them by the amount of time they take, so whether you’ve got time for a five-minute activity or are taking a 20-minute break, there’s plenty of ways to keep gardening while working at home.

Buy plants online

Pink lily flowers — Ordering plants online - pink lily flowers

You can buy plants, seeds, bulbs and other gardening kit online or by mail order. Have a quick browse and see what takes your fancy. Everything you need for the jobs below can be ordered online for delivery to your door. Why not treat yourself to some new plants, so you can look forward to glorious flowers.

Start growing potatoes

Chitting potatoes

Two-minute break

Potatoes are the ultimate failsafe vegetable you can grow at home – and you can grow them in the ground or in a large sack. To get them off to the best start, it’s best to ‘chit’ them. Buy seed potatoes online, as they’ll be disease-free, rather than using potatoes that you’ve bought to eat. Then, when you’re taking a break from work, unpack them and pop them in an empty egg box, or other container, on a bright windowsill. You’ll soon see shoots emerging. If you want to harvest your potatoes in summer, they should be in the ground by the end of May. If you want to harvest your own potatoes for Christmas, then plant them into a bag somewhere sheltered by the end of August.

Water newly delivered plants

Five-minute break

You can buy garden plants online and by mail order. If you’ve had a delivery, it can be tempting to abandon work and spend the rest of the day potting up and planting out your new arrivals. But if you only have a few minutes to spare, make sure you unpack your plants as soon as you can, and sit them in a tray of water. That way they’ll be in good condition when you’re ready to give them your full attention.

How to grow on plug plants

Get an orchid to flower again

Pink flowers of moth orchid — Pink moth orchid - getting an orchid to reflower

Five-minute break

If you’re stuck indoors, flowers really lift your mood. Many of us have an orchid that’s finished flowering and is looking a bit sorry for itself. Cutting the stem back will encourage it to flower again, and is speedy enough to do in even the shortest screen break. If the stem is still green, cut it back to just above a visible joint (or node). If the stem has turned brown, remove it at the base.

Feed garden birds

Types of bird food - mixed seed — Garden birds on a feeder

10-minute break

Take a quick trip out into the garden to hang up a bird feeder and put out a shallow dish of water. Try to position them so you can see them from where you’re working at home, and the birds will provide entertainment when you’re back at your computer.

Sow a pot of vegetable seeds

10-minute break

There are lots of vegetables you can grow in pots, so even if you only have a balcony or a large windowsill, you can still grow vegetables at home. Sowing a few seeds in a pot takes just minutes, and you can look forward to delicious harvests.

Carrots are perfect for growing in pots – simply sprinkle the seeds across the top of a large container of damp compost, and cover with a thin layer of compost. Put the pot somewhere bright and keep the compost moist. Tomatoes, salad leaves, and spring onions are all easy to grow in pots too. See our guides to how to grow carrots, tomatoes and other veg in pots.

Grow sweet peas

10-minute break

Sweet peas deliver beautiful flowers and delicious scent in bucketfuls. They’re easy to grow from seed, and you can sow a pot of seeds in a short work break. Simply fill a small pot or a few empty loo roll tubes with compost and pop your seeds in – three seeds to a pot, or two seeds per loo roll tube. Push the seeds about 0.5cm down into the compost. Pop them somewhere bright and keep the compost moist. You’ll soon have seedlings you can plant out in the garden. For more growing advice, including when to plant sweet peas:

Dust houseplants

10-minute break

Housework is the classic way to distract yourself when you’re working from home, but here’s a job that shouldn’t feel like such a chore. Dusting the leaves of your houseplants with a damp cloth may seem unnecessary, but it helps the plant photosynthesise effectively meaning they’ll be much healthier. Plants with broad leaves particularly benefit, and the simple, repetitive action is a great way to destress.

Houseplant care guide

Divide a pot of supermarket herbs

20-minute break

Herbs are a great way to liven up store-cupboard meals. You may have a potted herb already, or they are readily available from supermarkets. If you can spare a few minutes to divide the herb, you can have several plants for the price of one. The extra space and fresh compost should also help the herbs live longer, giving you pickings for longer. Slide the herb out of its pot and gently tease the rootball apart with your fingers. You want several clumps of herb, each with a good chunk of roots attached. Put each clump into a fresh pot of compost and keep well watered.