Configuring Task Settings
Task Settings let you control which types of care tasks are generated for your garden, how frequently they recur, and whether each type applies per-planting or per-block.
Accessing Task Settings
Navigate to Planning > Task Settings (/Planning/TaskSettings).
Task Type Configuration
Each of the 16 task types can be independently configured with three toggles:
- Enabled — whether this type generates tasks at all
- Interval (days) — how many days between recurring occurrences
- Block-Level — whether the task applies per-planting or per-block
If you use an automated irrigation system, disable Watering entirely. If you want fertilizing reminders only every 3 weeks, change the interval.
Per-Planting vs Block-Level
This is the most important setting to understand.
- Per-planting (default for most types): one task per planting. If you have 24 tomato plants, you get 24 tasks.
- Block-level: one task per block, regardless of how many plantings are in it. If you have 24 tomato plants in B3, you get ONE Watering task for the block.
Default block-level types for new gardens:
- Watering
- Fertilizing
- PestInspection
- Weeding
- Mulching
These defaults exist because most gardeners water/fertilize/weed by bed, not by individual plant. Block-level dramatically reduces task noise.
When to change:
- Switch Pruning to block-level if you do it by bed, not per plant
- Switch Watering to per-planting if you have containers that need individual schedules
Toggling this setting does not retroactively update existing plantings — see Re-apply below.
Default Intervals
| Task | Default | Scope | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watering | 5 days | Block | 1–7 days |
| Fertilizing | 21 days | Block | 7–30 days |
| Pruning | 5 days | Per-plant | 5–30 days |
| PestInspection | 7 days | Block | 7–14 days |
| Weeding | 7 days | Block | 3–14 days |
| Mulching | 30 days | Block | 14–60 days |
Lifecycle milestone tasks (StartSeeds, TransplantIndoors, HardenOff, TransplantOutdoors, HarvestReady) are one-time and don't use an interval.
Perennials
Perennials (trees, shrubs, grasses, vines, groundcovers, succulents) do not get lifecycle tasks. They only receive care tasks from block-level configs. New gardens are seeded with 5 perennial/grass custom task types for this purpose:
- Grass Watering
- Grass Fertilize
- Perennial Watering
- Perennial Fertilize
- Perennial Trimming
These are category-scoped, so they only apply to blocks that actually contain perennial plants.
When Settings Take Effect
Task settings apply to new plantings added after the settings are saved. Existing plantings keep their current task schedules.
This prevents accidental mass-rescheduling of tasks for plants already mid-season. To apply new settings to existing plantings, use Re-apply (below).
Re-apply to Existing Plantings
On the Tasks page Manage tab, or by asking the Garden AI:
Re-apply tasks for B3.
Re-apply tasks for my tomatoes.
Sync task settings garden-wide.
This is idempotent — it creates only the task definitions that are missing. Running it twice does nothing the second time. Safe to use liberally after changing settings.
Bulk Delete
If a re-apply gets you closer but you have leftover tasks that shouldn't exist, you can bulk delete from the Manage tab or ask the AI:
Delete all tasks for B3.
Remove every Weeding task from Fence1.
The AI will echo the deletion plan and wait for your confirmation before calling.
Custom Task Types
Create your own task types from the Task Settings page using the Add Custom Task Type button. Custom types can be category-scoped (e.g., "Apply Fungicide" only for Fruit crops) or global.
Tip: Start with the default intervals for your first season and adjust based on observation. After a full season, you will have a clear sense of which task types and intervals actually match your garden's needs.