It wasn’t some piece of plastic laden with lead shipped in from China. It was a real, grown in PA Fraser Fir.

Now it is going to be the structure my pole beans climb on. I tried bamboo poles for a few years, but the vines slid down the poles from the weight of the beans. Last year I tried using a Texas tomato cage, the vines grew out and over and engulfed my asparagus. I kinda feel bad that the neighbors are looking at my very brown, very dead, now-staked-upright in-the-vegetable-garden Christmas tree. Recycle. Reuse.

But not for long. Beans grow, well, like beans! Once they sprout, they are off and running (teehee..runner beans.. :) and will cover the Christmas tree and make it green again! I grow yellow (aka wax beans) and purple beans. The green ones are just too hard to see to pick. String beans mature fast and are tough and chewy when old so pick fresh young ones every few days. You could skip the dead tree in the garden part and grow bush beans. Beside the bush vs pole part, the bush beans ripen all at once- great if you are a canner or like to freeze in one fell swoop. The pole beans keep producing all season- beans for side dishes, adding to soups, giving to neighbors who think you have lost it.... It is not too late to start your beans. They like a warm soil and warmer night time temperatures to start them off. Mine went in this year 5-27. 8 seeds.

I am on my 4^th attempt this year for carrots. One of these years I am going to get it right and have carrot bounty. The trick, I understand, is to not let the seeds dry out while they are germinating. Unfortunately for my carrots, I am an underwater-er. I sow the seeds thinly, carefully dust just the right amount of compost over them, and then get to the next garden chore. I remember about checking the carrots a week or two later. Either they sprouted and died due to no water, or they didn’t start due to no water. Then I read about sowing and placing a board over them for 10 days to keep the moisture in. Brilliant! So I did that. I was completely delighted when I removed the board last Thursday and found about 30 elongated pale seedlings!! Off came the board, out came the 85 degrees, shrivel went the baby seedlings! How could I be so unaware to fry my new babies?? So this Thursday- last chance. I sowed one last time. Watered before I sowed. Watered after I sowed. Layered chopped brown leaves on top about 1 inch thick. Watered again. Big storm Thursday night probably washed them down to the Dianthus. That’s it. I am buying organic carrots at the market.

I have noticed NO cabbage moths this year on my broccoli. ( I whispered that when I typed it- keep it low.....) Up til this year I had a big problem and would smash the pale green caterpillars and leave them as a warning to the others. Of course the others cared less as they continued to chew. I think it might be the Catnip plants I have growing near it. I think it is throwing the moths off! I see a nice big head forming in the middle of the clump of perfect, hole-free foliage. YAHOO! (Whoops...shhh!)

Keep your vegetables watered- not too much- once a week deeply can be enough-Mother Nature doesn’t rain every day because the roots also need to "breathe" the air in the soil. They can’t breathe if all the air spaces are filled with water. Keep your vegetables fertilized- ORGANIC fertilizers, of course. I like the Fish Emulsion/Seaweed fertilizer. Organic fertilizers feed your plant and your soil. And it is all about the soil. Chemical fertilizers- such as Miracle Grow- cause lush growth which can in turn bring more aphids and spider mites, cause plants to fall over because they can’t support themselves from un-naturally speedy growth, and does absolutely nothing for your soil.

Grow well, treat your soil well. Reuse your Christmas tree! My neighbors have already established I am crazy- I no longer have to worry "what the neighbors will think". And when I share the beans, all will be good in the ‘hood. Yay for grow your own! ~Erica

We have become aware of how the sun moves through the garden. We know we have to make decisions about how large a tree or shrub should get. What we haven’t paid much attention to is the “you factor”. The thumb turns greener through observation and awareness. So let’s talk about you.

We at HG very seldom get plants returned to us. We try like the dickens to have the best plants around. We order from quality growers, we take care of our plants from proper watering to primping. So when someone does bring back a dead plant, and tells me “it didn’t look good when they bought it…”, well, that really frosts my foliage. We have literally thousands of plants, there aren't too many (any??) that escape daily quality inspections. Once a plant leaves HG, we no longer have any control how it is being cared for. Gosh for all I know, your neighbor’s huge dog is peeing on that lovely shrub you just planted every morning! Maybe you don’t even know it! The mailman stepped on it. The kids threw a basketball on it. Your honey used too much Miracle Gro. Weed killer (ugh!!) drifted over from a lawn where dandelions and clover were being persecuted for no good reason. (Not your lawn, of course.) So past the “who knew?” things, there is personal responsibility.

Which brings me to the actual reason for this article. YOU. Are you an underwater-er or an overwater-er? You have to be aware of YOU and how you care for your garden. Once you have that figured out, you can choose plants that are happy for which ever care you are providing. I have started to ask more gardeners this question as I realize its importance. If you are a gardener who loves to love on your plants- watering and fertilizing regularly, mothering, primping and trimming, then certain plants will love that kind of extra attention. Some gardeners, however, buy the plant, water it when they put it in, and then, well, the plant is on its own. You would be the “underwater-ers”. Although that type of initial planting style leaves much to chance, a lot of gardeners get away with it thru well timed rain storms and plant choices. Alot of plants go to plant heaven due to improper watering. 

If you are an “underwater-er” type of gardener, there are plants that will love you back. This is not a neglectful style of gardening, it is the reality of how little time most of us have to spend in our garden. Choose plants with fuzzy, thick, or blue or silver foliage. These are ways the plants tell you they like dry. Sedums, Pervoskia (Russian Sage), Stachys (Lamb’s Ears), Delosperma (Ice Plant) Echinacea (Coneflower). If you are an “overwater-er” these kinds of plants are not going to be happy at all, and most likely will succumb to crown rot. Mother Nature has provided plants for every spot on earth. You just have to look around at HG with one of our helpful nursery staff (where else would you be?) to find the plant that will appreciate your care style. Mix that in with your sun/shade aspect, soil drainage, and how big you want the plant to get and watch your thumb is getting greener and greener, while your garden grows.

Treat yourself to a Dramm watering wand and water with wild abandon or hardly at all. Be aware and pick the plants who love you for you.

Happy Planting! ~Erica