It’s official, almost. Planting season can begin. Our region typically sees May 15 as the frost day. After this date it is considered highly unlikely we will see another frost until autumn.

As we begin to put vegetable plants, new and divided perennials, summer bulbs and annuals in the ground, it is important to consider the amount of time and effort it is going to require to keep the plants healthy and thriving.

Bigger is not always better in life, let alone in the garden. Caring for plants can be time-consuming, tedious and even backbreaking work. I suggest a little each day and you can avoid hours of weeding and watering on your only day off.

If, like me, you neglected to put in that fancy drip irrigation system that only waters the roots of the plants, fear not. As much as I would like that fancy drip irrigation system that only waters at the roots, I couldn’t quite squeeze it into the budget. I did try, however…somewhere between food and gasoline, but I couldn’t manage to sneak it in without one vehicle being left in the driveway and at least one family member starving.

Instead I opted for the hose. The rain barrels are full and with a $40 utility pump I can water the garden once a week. It’s been suggested an inch of water once a week is plenty to keep most plants happy. I like using the utility pump because it gets the water out faster and I can hook up a sprinkler. For the plants that don’t like the overhead water on their leaves, a soaker hose works well.

It’s best to water in the early morning. Most gardeners will tell you this is because the water won’t evaporate as quickly. As true as that is, it also benefits the gardener to get up early, start moving, sing opera if you have to, but begin the day by nurturing what could be a future meal, centerpiece or livelihood.

While the garden is being watered you can tend to something else, like making toast or having a second cup of coffee.

Weed a little each day. This does not mean a broad spectrum herbicide, tucked neatly into your gardening holster, ready to point, aim, and shoot. This means an old serrated knife or even an old screwdriver. Weeds come out easier when the soil is moist. This is another good early morning task but I might suggest you wait until after the watering has commenced. You can skip this step if it rains a decent amount.

Clean up a little each day. Falling blossoms, dead leaves, mysterious little sticks and branches have a tendency to collect quickly. Stroll through the yard and garden with a bucket (I use a galvanized one), and you’ll have that stuff handled.

Most spring bulbs have faded, and despite the unattractive nature of the dead and dying leaves, leave them in place until they turn brown. As the leaves fade they add vital nutrients back into the bulbs. Once they are brown you can remove them.

Harvest early crops like lettuce, spinach and radishes. You can continue to plant new, but you’ll find the impending heat of summer will not play fair. Cool weather crops hate the hot sun. You should be able to get one more harvest before summer officially begins.

If you find you are unable to keep up with the work required to keep your landscaping looking nice, it might be that you need to downsize. Forget the annuals and plant more perennials. They come back each year, and they can be divided every couple of years, which means they are more cost effective and when properly placed, require little weeding as they fill in beds and borders nicely.

If it’s the garden that takes too much time to manage, plant a smaller garden.