A few honest tips on keeping your backyard garden alive this month

Once the excitement of dropping your seeds into the dirt wears off, the actual daily maintenance kicks in. When I first started out, I thought I had to be out there for hours every single day, obsessively pulling every tiny weed and drowning my plants in water just to be safe. 

Turns out, you really don't need to turn it into a full-time job. 

If you set up a few basic habits early on, a backyard garden can easily thrive on just a few minutes of your time every couple of days. Here is the simple, stress-free routine I use to keep things green without losing my sanity.

Get used to the finger test before you grab the hose. Overwatering is easily the fastest way to kill a new garden because roots actually need oxygen to breathe. Instead of sticking to a rigid calendar schedule, just push your index finger about an inch into the soil. If it feels completely dry, give the bed a deep soak. If it still feels damp and cool, leave it alone for another day. 

Put down a thick layer of mulch as soon as possible. If you absolutely hate spending your weekends pulling weeds, go grab some mulch, straw, or even crushed dry leaves. Spreading a two-inch layer around your plants does two amazing things at once. It blocks out the sunlight so weed seeds can’t sprout, and it seals moisture into the dirt so you don't have to water nearly as often.

Always aim your water at the soil, not the foliage. It’s always tempting to just spray the whole plant from above, but wet leaves are a massive magnet for fungus, blight, and pests—especially if you water later in the afternoon. Keep the nozzle low and target the base of the plant where the roots actually drink. 

Handle the weeds while they are still babies.Don't wait until the backyard looks like a jungle to start cleaning things up. I like to spend just five minutes whenever I'm walking around checking on things to flick out the tiny sprouts. Plucking a baby weed with two fingers takes two seconds, whereas wrestling a giant, deep-rooted weed out of dry dirt a month from now is a nightmare.