WHAT TO PLANT? … WHAT TO PLANT?

Make sure you don’t end up growing a hundred dollar tomato plant and other thoughts on planting your garden

Beginning gardeners and even experienced gardeners stare at their garden as a Monet stared at his canvas and ask “What to plant…What to Plant?”  Then they go to the Garden Center or open the seed catalog and see the huge selection of EVERYTHING and just have to plant one of each.  Right?

Let me suggest instead, look at your dining room table and grow what you eat.  Simplify.  If you rarely eat egg plant…why plant them unless you have a burning desire for some baba ganoush.  If you like tomatoes…then grow tomatoes.  If you like carrots…then grow carrots.  My wife loves Beets…so guess what; I grow beets…lots of them.  What I don’t grow a lot of anymore is rhubarb.  If you LIKE something, then try different varieties.  We love squash.  So we have tried growing different varieties and in doing so found our new favorite squash, the patty-pan squash.  Some last words of advice:  use common sense; know when enough is enough and don’t be afraid to pull up a plant that is sickly or no longer producing (in other words in pursuit of the perfect tomato…make sure you don’t end up growing a hundred dollar tomato plant).