diff --git a/src/plugins/kubernetes/actions.ts b/src/plugins/kubernetes/actions.ts
index 70283dcbc7..a14fa65f7c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/kubernetes/actions.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/kubernetes/actions.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import {
   ContainerModule,
   helpers,
 } from "../container"
-import { values, every, uniq } from "lodash"
+import { uniq } from "lodash"
 import { deserializeValues, serializeValues, splitFirst, sleep } from "../../util/util"
 import { ServiceStatus } from "../../types/service"
 import { joiIdentifier } from "../../types/common"
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ import {
   coreApi,
 } from "./api"
 import {
-  createNamespace,
   getAppNamespace,
   getMetadataNamespace,
   getAllGardenNamespaces,
@@ -89,50 +88,17 @@ export async function getEnvironmentStatus({ ctx, provider }: GetEnvironmentStat
     throw err
   }
 
-  const statusDetail: { [key: string]: boolean } = {
-    namespaceReady: false,
-    metadataNamespaceReady: false,
-  }
-
-  const metadataNamespace = await getMetadataNamespace(ctx, provider)
-  const namespacesStatus = await coreApi(context).listNamespace()
-  const namespace = await getAppNamespace(ctx, provider)
-
-  for (const n of namespacesStatus.body.items) {
-    if (n.metadata.name === namespace && n.status.phase === "Active") {
-      statusDetail.namespaceReady = true
-    }
-
-    if (n.metadata.name === metadataNamespace && n.status.phase === "Active") {
-      statusDetail.metadataNamespaceReady = true
-    }
-  }
-
-  let configured = every(values(statusDetail))
+  await getMetadataNamespace(ctx, provider)
+  await getAppNamespace(ctx, provider)
 
   return {
-    configured,
-    detail: statusDetail,
+    configured: true,
+    detail: <any>{},
   }
 }
 
-export async function configureEnvironment(
-  { ctx, provider, status, logEntry }: ConfigureEnvironmentParams,
-) {
-  const context = provider.config.context
-
-  if (!status.detail.namespaceReady) {
-    const ns = await getAppNamespace(ctx, provider)
-    logEntry && logEntry.setState({ section: "kubernetes", msg: `Creating namespace ${ns}` })
-    await createNamespace(context, ns)
-  }
-
-  if (!status.detail.metadataNamespaceReady) {
-    const ns = await getMetadataNamespace(ctx, provider)
-    logEntry && logEntry.setState({ section: "kubernetes", msg: `Creating namespace ${ns}` })
-    await createNamespace(context, ns)
-  }
-
+export async function configureEnvironment({ }: ConfigureEnvironmentParams) {
+  // this happens implicitly in the `getEnvironmentStatus()` function
   return {}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/kubernetes/kubernetes.ts b/src/plugins/kubernetes/kubernetes.ts
index 628bbd2d22..04d5e74ddc 100644
--- a/src/plugins/kubernetes/kubernetes.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/kubernetes/kubernetes.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 import * as Joi from "joi"
 import {
   joiIdentifier,
-  validate
+  validate,
 } from "../../types/common"
 import {
   GardenPlugin,
diff --git a/src/plugins/kubernetes/namespace.ts b/src/plugins/kubernetes/namespace.ts
index 0d0e7a656b..552c8431be 100644
--- a/src/plugins/kubernetes/namespace.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/kubernetes/namespace.ts
@@ -18,18 +18,33 @@ import {
 import { name as providerName } from "./kubernetes"
 import { AuthenticationError } from "../../exceptions"
 
-export async function createNamespace(context: string, namespace: string) {
-  // TODO: the types for all the create functions in the library are currently broken
-  await coreApi(context).createNamespace(<any>{
-    apiVersion: "v1",
-    kind: "Namespace",
-    metadata: {
-      name: namespace,
-      annotations: {
-        "garden.io/generated": "true",
-      },
-    },
-  })
+const created: { [name: string]: boolean } = {}
+
+export async function ensureNamespace(context: string, namespace: string) {
+  if (!created[namespace]) {
+    const namespacesStatus = await coreApi(context).listNamespace()
+
+    for (const n of namespacesStatus.body.items) {
+      if (n.status.phase === "Active") {
+        created[n.metadata.name] = true
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (!created[namespace]) {
+      // TODO: the types for all the create functions in the library are currently broken
+      await coreApi(context).createNamespace(<any>{
+        apiVersion: "v1",
+        kind: "Namespace",
+        metadata: {
+          name: namespace,
+          annotations: {
+            "garden.io/generated": "true",
+          },
+        },
+      })
+      created[namespace] = true
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 export async function getNamespace(ctx: PluginContext, provider: KubernetesProvider, suffix?: string) {
@@ -57,7 +72,13 @@ export async function getNamespace(ctx: PluginContext, provider: KubernetesProvi
     namespace = `garden--${username}--${ctx.projectName}`
   }
 
-  return suffix ? `${namespace}--${suffix}` : namespace
+  if (suffix) {
+    namespace = `${namespace}--${suffix}`
+  }
+
+  await ensureNamespace(provider.config.context, namespace)
+
+  return namespace
 }
 
 export async function getAppNamespace(ctx: PluginContext, provider: KubernetesProvider) {