Keeping up with gardening tasks in the summer can be a task in itself.  Rainy weather one day, sun the next, and unpredictable storms sometimes make planning ahead impossible.  Here are some tips to keep you on track.

Baby steps.  Like many projects, gardening projects often take more time and effort than planned.  It's easy to get in over your head.  The key is to break projects down into manageable chunks.  Instead of creating that huge bed in your front yard, maybe start with a tree some perennials, and a few annuals.  Then, expand it a little bit more next year.

It's also important to prioritize gardening tasks.  I try to prioritize the three key tasks: pest management, harvesting, and planting.  It's easy to prioritize planting over other tasks.  Planting is fun!  However, those potato beetles need dealt with before they become a bigger problem.

A watering schedule is a must when it comes to maintaining a beautiful landscape.  Skipping watering a hanging basket for a couple really hot days can be disastrous.  Watering is one of those things that is unique to the needs of your landscape and garden.  However, there are some tools every gardener can use to make watering easier.  For example, drip irrigation and a timer can help a great deal if you have large beds.

Automation is something that we use every day at Bob's to care for our 20+ acres of greenhouses.  With new home automation systems available, it is now technology the average homeowner can use to keep their gardens running efficiently.  There are even water valves on the market now that use local weather data to water only when needed.

Finally, relax!  Gardening is hard work, but it is also rewarding work.  In today's world many of us spend our days working on intangible, abstract things.  Even this blog post is just a bunch of electrons floating around in "the cloud".  Gardening is real.  You get to see the literal fruits of your labor.