Frau Zinnie

Gifts for the Gardener: 22 Ideas for Holiday Giving

It's that time again! Need a gift for the gardener but not sure what to get him or her? I've been on the lookout for gifts I either would want or have already acquired and love.

Below are my top picks for all sorts of gardeners on your list.

Great garden accents

We Have a Victory Garden - Garden Sign by WirtheimDesignStudio. Photo used with permission.

'We Have a Victory Garden' sign ($28 USD) — For the serious edible gardener, WirtheimDesignStudio offers a Victory Garden sign with a 1940s throwback feel. Click here to learn more. (Be sure to check out his pollinator offerings, too!)

Set of Red Poppy Garden Sculptures ART011 by London Garden Trading. Photo used with permission.

Set of Red Poppy Garden Sculptures ($67.18 USD) — Handmade and individually hand painted using recycled metals, London Garden Trading offers three gorgeous poppies to add a pop of color in your garden. Click here to learn more.

Greek/Roman head planter.

Lucky Winner Greek/Roman Style Female Statue Head Cement Planter ($44.95 USD) — I purchased this planter last year and it is now a staple in my container garden. It is shown here with Proven Winners Lemon Coral Sedum, which I grew in my garden in 2018 and 2019. Click here for more info on the planter.

To make their lives easier

French Blue Watering Can ($29.95) — This is now my go-to watering can in the garden. It fills up to 3 gallons of water, but I do not fill it to the very top to prevent a little overflow spilling. (It helps me make less trips to the water line.) Click here to learn more.

Cosco Shifter 300-Pound Capacity Multi-Position Heavy Duty Folding Hand Truck and Dolly ($47.99) — This is a recent purchase for me and has already helped me move my (very) heavy glazed ceramic pots into their winter locations. Click here to learn more.

Niwaki Garden Snips (£10.00) — This item is actually on my wish list after hearing from an Instagram friend that this is really good for taking dahlia cuttings. Click here to learn more.

For the bookworm

With so many different topics to choose from, you are bound to find a gardening book perfect for someone on your list! Let's get started.

For those searching for inner peace

How to Make a Plant Love You: Cultivate Green Space in Your Home and Heart by Summer Rayne Oaks. ($25.00 USD) — Summer encourages a different approach to nature. Her book ties together all the known benefits of taking care of plants (lower blood pressure, lower stress, cleaner air) with a bigger, less obvious benefit: taking care of plants makes you a more life-giving person.

Creating Sanctuary: Sacred Garden Spaces, Plant-Based Medicine, and Daily Practices to Achieve Happiness and Well-Being by Jessi Bloom. ($24.95 USD) — Learn how to design a healing space, how to harness the power of 50 sacred plants and how to create recipes and rituals that soothe and calm.

For those short on space

Gardener's Guide to Compact Plants: Edibles and Ornamentals for Small-Space Gardening by Jessica Walliser. ($24.99 USD) — For homeowners with small yards, urban gardeners, container growers, or anyone looking to grow a beautiful and productive small-scale garden, this book highlights.plants that require less space and reduced day-to-day maintenance.

For butterfly lovers

A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America: Second Edition by Jeffrey Glassberg. ($29.95 USD) — The guide covers all known species with 3,500 color photographs. The second edition includes more than 500 new photos and updated text, maps, and species names.

For something different

Down to Earth: Gardening Wisdom by Monty Don. (£9.99/paperback) — 50 years of garden experience from one of the UK's most famous gardeners. Enough said.

For the edible gardener

Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live by Kevin Espiritu. ($27.99 USD) — To succeed in an urban garden setting means choosing the best method(s) that make sense for your unique living situation. This book covers container gardening, raised beds, indoor edibles, balconies, rooftops and hydroponics.

For the chef

Stacked With Flavor: An Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook With Dairy-free, Grain-free & Low-Sugar Recipes by Shawna Coronado. ($24.95 USD) — Interested in an anti-inflammatory diet and not sure where to begin? This book provides recipes that include herbs and spices to kick up the flavor along with meal plans.

For houseplant enthusiasts

Living Decor: Plants, Potting and DIY Projects by Maria Colletti. ($25.00 USD) Step by step projects that cover houseplant trends, such as macramé, concrete planters and new plant stands for popular botanicals.

Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf. ($26.99 USD) — Plant bios on the best choices for low-light conditions, including a helpful legend to find out if they are safe to be around pets. (Read more here.)

For the photographer

New York in Bloom by Georgianna Lane. ($19.99 USD) — For anyone who loves New York City, flowers, and photography, they will admire Georgianna's gorgeous photos depicting one of the most iconic cities in the world. (If the Eiffel Tower is more your thing, check out Paris in Bloom.)

US State Flowers | Educational Wall Art | Watercolor Geography | Flower Chart from The Wheat Field. Photo used with permission.

For indoor decor

US State Flowers | Educational Wall Art | Watercolor Geography | Flower Chart ($22.00 USD) — Now you'll know at a glance all 50 state flowers with this print of the original watercolor from The Wheat Field. Click here to learn more. (Be sure to check out her original cards and planners, too.)

The Plant Care {Mist} Ultra-Fine Mist and the Luster Leaf 1630 Rapitest Stainless Steel Dial Soil Thermometer.

Stocking stuffers

Plant Care {Mist} Ultra-Fine Mist ($9-$15 USD depending on source) — Long name, but it delivers a prolonged misting experience for your houseplants. (My orchids and monstera seem pretty pleased!) It is also good for using on seedlings. Click here to learn more or ask for it at your independent garden center (which is where I bought mine).

Luster Leaf 1630 Rapitest Stainless Steel Dial Soil Thermometer ($7-15 USD depending on source) — When the colder temps subside, you can use this soil thermometer to figure out when the soil is warm enough to plant vegetable seeds. It also includes temperature ranges for common vegetables. Click here to learn more or ask for it at your independent garden center.

The Large Vintage Floral Rose Temporary Tattoo from the Tattoorary.
Photo used with permission.

Floral Temporary Tattoos ($4-$8 USD) — Show your botanical love on your sleeve. Tattoorary offers many options to choose from, including the Large Vintage Floral Rose Temporary Tattoo, shown above.

Islander Dahlia (Price varies) — Last year I suggested Labyrinth. This year, you need to add the cheery pink Islander dahlia to brighten your garden borders. She'll grow tall and create mammoth flowers, too.

For the philanthropist

Donation to your local public garden — Make a gift in your recipient's name. For a list of public gardens near you, click here.

Still need ideas? Check out the great gift ideas from last year's holiday gift guide.

Please note: Items listed above do not use affiliate links.

3 video highlights of birds in the garden

Each year I try to set up the camera to record the hummingbirds or wrens that visit the garden.

Three short video clips are shown below — you can find even more videos over at my YouTube channel.

Gardening with Raynaud

I remember being in seventh grade and hanging out with the first boy I really liked. Out of no where, he asked me if I ate a lot of red pistachios.

"No," I said, confused. "Why?"

"Because your fingers are so red."

Cue the adolescent embarrassment. My hands were redder than everyone else's.

While I luckily did not rely on a future as a hand model — and later met a man who did not care what color my hands were — it's only in the last two years that I was diagnosed with Raynaud's disease. This also explained my extreme sensitivity to the cold, especially when going outside to shovel snow. (Often the warming up part was even worse, when I felt like my hands were being sliced apart as they warmed.)

Raynaud's is when your blood flow is decreased to your hands and feet. While symptoms can vary, the most common is that fingers can turn pale or white and then blue when exposed to the cold, and then very red when the hands are warmed. Hands can become swollen and painful — throbbing and tingling — when they start to warm up. And in severe cases, you can develop sores on your fingers.

As I've aged, my cold sensitivity has increased. While I've adapted to winter conditions as best as I've can, I've figured out a few tricks to keep me outside when the temperature is in the low 40s (Fahrenheit) or below so I can keep gardening. These might seem commonsense, but they make a world of difference in the garden in late fall and early spring.

Insulated gloves and scarves help ward off the cold.

Insulated gloves

In the warmer months, I prefer using thin gardening gloves to improve my dexterity. However, in colder temperatures, I now use insulated gardening gloves that help my hands stay warm as I plant bulbs and complete other gardening tasks. They are thicker and my hands remain a constant temperature.

Use hand and feet warmers

While I usually opt for these when I'm outside for photography sessions for longer periods of time, they can also come in handy if you are not using insulated gloves. Open indoors before heading outside, shake to activate, and soon they will start generating heat.

Don the layers

At this time of year I definitely dress in layers, including a hat (to keep body heat from escaping) and on windy days, a scarf. I'll also opt for thicker socks to keep my feet warm. If it is very cold out, I'll wear compression tights (think cold weather running gear) to keep my legs warm.

Bandage cuts

My hands dry out quickly and the skin can crack. To keep cuts from becoming infected I have to be really good about making sure I have band-aids on before I put the gardening gloves on. Hand lotion helps, too.

Take breaks

I have to step inside and warm up between tasks. Sometimes I even have tea to warm up as well (turmeric tea is a great anti-inflammatory option).

Complete tasks indoors if possible

If I need to refill a birdfeeder, I'll try to do it in the garage. Same goes for sorting bulbs, cleaning tools, etc.

The Black Gold Philodendron in my living room. This is not its permanent location -
I have it on the other side of the room with my other philodendrons. It gets late day
sun.

What was I thinking? I let houseplant lust take over during a recent visit to Logee's and I came home with Black Gold Philodendron (Philodendron melanochrysum).

When I saw it the first time, I was struck by the color of its leaves: iridescent black-green with pale green veins. Then I circled back to admire it again and before I knew it I was on my way to the register.

I didn't realize it was a rare plant. (Surely the price should have tipped me off.) I was told at checkout that it is difficult to propagate, which increases its rarity status.

I've been carefully watching it, and trying to decide which place it will be happiest in my home. (It developed that yellow lower leaf when it was too close to my growlights. Now in its new spot, it gets indirect sun in the living room.)

I've been doing some planty research via Google, and it turns out this will become a fairly large plant, and will eventually need a pole to grow on for support. It's poisonous, too, so I need to keep it away from my house rabbits. (I had suspected this when I brought it home.) Eventually, when it's no longer in 'juvenile form' (which mine is now), it will produce 2 foot long leaves. (Whoa.)

See what happens when you let plant lust take over? 😂 It should be interesting to see how this future mammoth plant will fit in my compact home.

Have you ever brought home a plant that was a major splurge? Let me know in the comments below!

Plan for autumn beauty in your garden

One of the images that immediately comes to my mind when I hear the word "garden" is an area that is green, lush and colorful at the height of the summer.

I think this might be why I haven't fully appreciated the autumn garden for its full splendor in the past. As the daylight wanes and the cooler temperatures rush in, it's difficult to find anything green and lush.

But it can be colorful in different ways.

Inspired by The High Line

In October and November I always feel rushed to wrap up the season. I usually focus on all the things I need to still complete in the garden, and often miss the decorative show.

But over the past two years I have found myself drawn to Piet Oudolf's garden designs, and as a result, I believe I am developing an appreciation for the seasons that I used to overlook.

I've made two visits to the High Line (one of Oudolf's designs) — once in in late September 2017 and the second time in July 2018 (I still need to visit this year!) — and I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed the plants in fall.

It was great timing that the film screening of Five Seasons with Piet Oudolf was shown in Hartford, Connecticut in 2018, which further inspired me. "Beauty is in so many things you wouldn't think of," Oudolf says during the film.

I think many gardeners, especially those starting out, focus on the "pretty" factor of plants — such as showy annuals with brilliant flowers — which means we can sometimes miss the other beautiful parts of the seasons.

Asters bloom in late September at the High Line in New York in 2017.

High Line in late September 2017.

Make room for autumn beauty in your garden

I'm beginning to have a new appreciation for autumn. Perhaps it is because the season seems to extend a bit longer each year. (For example, we are just starting nights with frost, which is late since my growing season warns that can occur as early as Oct. 14 most years.)

Because the season is lasting longer, I'm noticing the plants that are left and add interest this late in the season. There are plants that produce berries (that also feed birds). There are grasses that add movement to the garden.

'Gatsby Moon' Oakleaf Hydrangea has a gorgeous maroon color for fall. In the background are red berries on the winterberry and yellow leaves on the witch hazel.

There are late-blooming mums that feed pollinators.

'Purple Mist' Global Warming Mum blooming in the front garden.

'Coraligraphy’ mum.

It can be in the promise of spring for next year, with seeds on display.

Butterfly weed seeds in the setting sunlight.

In the photos above you can see some examples of the plants that stand out in my garden now — in November! You may have different plants that look good where you garden.

Now is the time to take note of what looks good now in your area. Keep that list handy when you are planning your garden out next year. You can begin to incorporate those autumn-friendly plants and shrubs in your garden over time.

Spring is my favorite season, which means I’ll suffer through the chilly temps and waning daylight in autumn to plant my little treasures.

Sometime around February I begin to worry that my bulbs won’t make it through the winter — nightmare scenarios where they are either being eaten by voles or rotting in a too wet area — but then the first few flowers of snowdrops, winter aconite and crocuses arrive, and I stop fretting. 🌼

What are you planting for spring?

Low-light? No problem! The Houseplant Guru has a plant for you

For many homeowners and apartment dwellers, lighting can be an issue when trying to grow plants indoors.

My home was built in the 1950s, so most of my windows are on the smaller side, meaning less natural light exposure. And sometimes it can be difficult to find plants that will accept — dare I even suggest, be happy with — my low-light offerings.

Snake plants, spider plants and monsteras can all be grown in low-light
conditions and are featured in "Grow in the Dark" by Lisa Eldred
Steinkopf.

That's why I was excited to receive Lisa Eldred Steinkopf's "Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants." Her book highlights 50 houseplants that grow in low-light conditions. 50!

Steinkopf knows her houseplants: she grows more than 1,000 of them. She is known as The Houseplant Guru on Twitter and her blog covers a multitude of topics about indoor plants.

"Grow in the Dark" includes a wide assortment of plants that tolerate low-light conditions. Some choices include trendy plants, such as monsteras. I was also happy to find polka dot plants and piggyback plants tolerate low light as well (a nostalgic throwback for me, since my mother grew both varieties when I was growing up). Many of the plants Steinkopf highlights in her book can be found at local garden centers, too.

Steinkopf packs a lot of houseplant knowledge in her book. In addition to growing information and instructions on how to propagate different plants, Steinkopf also shares which plant varieties are toxic and nontoxic for pets. Having this information can help you choose plants that will be safe around your pets — before you even bring them home.

Whether you are shopping for your first houseplant or you are a regular green thumb, "Grow in the Dark" will set you up for plant parent success.

"Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants" retails for $25.

Quarto Knows provided me with a review copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are mine.

To make an immediate garden statement, think bigger when it comes to buying perennial shrubs

In July 2018, two oakleaf hydrangeas arrived at my door. They were the same variety, Proven Winners 'Gatsby Moon', but in two different sizes: a quart and a gallon.

July 2018.

Photo from Proven Winners.

When it comes to buying shrubs, you need to ask yourself what you want for your garden. Are you willing to wait for a plant to reach its full size, or do you want the garden to look more established faster?

To be honest, I've always been a bit of a "go big or go home" type of gal. My shopping habits have often veered me to the larger shrubs, planters, hanging baskets ... you get my drift.

Bigger plants usually come with a larger price tag, but I see that as a trade off for the amount of time that has already gone into growing the plant. (For example, I don't have 10 years to wait for tiny arborvitae shrubs to grow in to block the street view — so I would buy larger plants.)

So if you purchase a smaller version of a shrub to save money, you'll need to be willing to wait a bit longer for that shrub to reach its full size.

But if you get the larger variety — which is often a more mature plant — you will be closer to filling the empty spot in your garden because the plant is already on its way to reaching its full-grown size.

Which brings me to "the experiment." Same plant variety, but two different sizes. How fast do they grow in the garden?

Quart vs. Gallon

To make this fair, I planted both plants in the same area of my front garden, where they receive roughly six hours of sunlight a day. I planted them about 48 inches away from each other. I also tried to give the plants the same amount of water (outside of rainfall) so if I watered one on a hot day, I watered the other as well. (I did water more the first year to help them get established in the garden. This year, I let them rely primarily on rainfall.)

The larger 'Gatsby Moon' in the front garden in August 2018.

The smaller 'Gatsby Moon' in the front garden in August 2018.

For the first few months after planting, the hydrangeas grew just a little bit. During this time, the growth was happening below the soil line — getting the plant established and building roots. A warm fall helped the plants get settled in for the coming winter.

The larger 'Gatsby Moon' in mid-October 2018.

The smaller 'Gatsby Moon' in mid-October 2018.

The shrubs made it through the winter without any issues. As spring progressed, the plants continued to grow.

In May 2019, the larger 'Gatsby Moon' (left) and the smaller 'Gatsby Moon' (right).

First year findings

I was surprised by how much taller the smaller version grew in its second season (spring and summer 2019). The shrub, in May 2019, was very small (see photo, above right). As of today, the shrub has two large stems — one measuring 36 inches and the other 24.5 inches. The plant measured 38 inches wide. That's a crazy amount of growth in one year, which I wasn't expecting!

Not surprisingly, the larger variety continued to grow well, but the growth focused on expanding its width more than height. The plant expanded to 46.5 inches wide and 42 inches tall.

The larger 'Gatsby Moon' measures 42 inches high after its first year of growth (August 2019).

The smaller 'Gatsby Moon' has one stem that is 36 inches high (August 2019).

While the shrubs did not bloom this year (the plants bloom on old wood), I'm looking forward to seeing how the larger plants pair with the neighboring witch hazel for autumn color. I will continue to monitor the growth of the shrubs in the garden to see when the plants even out in size.

Thank you to Proven Winners for supplying me with two sample oakleaf hydrangea varieties to test in my Zone 6b garden.

The front garden in July 2019.

When we moved into our first home, it came with a huge front lawn.

I wanted none of it.

I grew up in the city, and despite this we actually had a decent sized garden to accompany our two-family home. My dad would often create new garden beds for plants he would buy at the nursery and online, and while he was not a lawn aficionado by any means, he still spent a significant time each summer maintaining it. Later we would move to Long Island and have a lawn made of zoysia grass. (I still wasn’t a fan.)

June 1, 2009 was the first day I worked in my new garden.

For my garden, I had big dreams for an area filled with plants, flowers and life. While not an absolute beginner gardener (thanks to my upbringing), this was the first time I had complete say over what the land would look like. Within weeks of moving in, I systematically started to remove the lawn in chunks.

That first year I planted with wild abandon – or at least what my limited budget could afford.

I also made a lot of mistakes.

That first year I battled a rainy summer, massive slugs, and wondered whether the strip of land along my driveway was suitable for growing vegetables (the sunniest location of the property). I realized that the back garden that appeared sunny when we moved in that May was only temporary – the black walnut trees were late to fill out. The impulsive, full sun plant purchases I had made all ended up having to be relocated to the front garden – with some not making it.

Somehow I wasn’t discouraged and actually kept gardening.

The "garden" 15 years ago. By the time we were owners, the foundation plantings were removed.

The front beds began to take shape in 2011 as I continued to chisel away at the front lawn.

While I was not yet Frau Zinnie, I had blogged previously on and off since college, and I have one post from that first fall. The beginnings of the garden blog were there, but it wasn’t until 2011 that the Frau Zinnie blog was officially launched, after another year and a half of experimenting, ripping out more lawn, and planting more plants.

The front garden in May 2012.

People often ask how I became Frau Zinnie. I knew I wanted to start a garden blog and play off my German background, so I translated Mrs. Zinnia – and Frau Zinnie was born.

And while I knew a decent amount about gardening from the books I read growing up (“A Way to Garden” by Margaret Roach was my bible when I was a teenager), I realized I still had a lot to learn as I continued to garden and began to blog more regularly.

So I kept reading. I learned about why it made sense to be an organic gardener. I bought several gardening magazines and ripped out pages to keep for inspiration. I found garden experts in my community, and interviewed them for my blog. I began to fit gardening in whenever I was not working at the nearby bakery. After I left the bakery and returned to school, I still made time to start seeds under my grow lights in the kitchen, and plant a ridiculous amount of spring-blooming bulbs.

Through it all, I have never stopped learning or experimenting. Some things grow well and others end up needing to be replaced. My garden has grown into so much more than I originally imagined it would be. Not only does it feed me — with actual food like vegetables and fruit — but also the wildlife, including the songbirds who now nest in the trees, plantings or bird houses. And little creatures too, like the monarch butterfly on the various milkweed plantings or the spicebush swallowtail butterflies which feed on spicebush.

The front garden in 2018.

My garden has changed a lot since I first plunged that shovel into the lawn – and so have I. We’ve both matured – a lot. But through it all, I have found that being in my garden continues to be one of the ways I find happiness.

Happy 10th birthday, dear garden. We're just getting started.

Three years ago, without really knowing what I was getting into, I joined a merry band of garden bloggers.

I had attended my first Garden Bloggers Fling, an annual gathering for garden bloggers from the United States, Canada and England. For each fling, a designated group of garden bloggers (also known as the fling committee) host and welcome between 80-90 garden bloggers and industry professionals to tour the best private and public gardens their area has to offer.

Three years ago the event was held in the Capital region (Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C.). Last year it was Austin, Texas. This year it was Denver, Colorado. (This was the 11th Garden Bloggers Fling.)

The Denver fling was my third. Picture an action-packed itinerary and lots of cameras. Many of the gardens that are featured on fling tours are drool-worthy. They contain wonderful plant pairings, whimsical touches, and different ways you can use plants in your garden. (For example, I learned that I definitely baby columbine too much after seeing it used repeatedly in blazing sun conditions.)

But here's what else I've learned in the last three years.

A major part of touring great gardens is so much fun because of the people I am with.

In Denver, not only did I meet lots of new garden bloggers, but I saw familiar faces from past flings as well. The people who attend are talented, thoughtful — often times hilarious — and above all else, super friendly.

Authors Pam Penick and Kylee Baumle enjoy the front porch vibes at a garden stop on the third day of the fling.

Garden bloggers take in a meadow planting at one of our private garden stops.

We have a pretty awesome raffle. This year two of the fling sponsors were Botanical Interests Seeds and Proven Winners.

Deep down, I consider myself to be an introvert, but when I attend the flings, I feel comfortable to be myself.

I mingle easily and chat about flowers, veggies ... anything really. The fling usually starts on a Thursday evening followed by three action-packed days. They fly by.

We all take photos. We all take notes. We all talk — a lot. When the buses leave in the morning, there's a buzz of excitement for the day to come.

Waiting patiently to enter a private garden.

We also know how to have fun. We not only give the paparazzi treatment to flora, but we also stalk the fauna we encounter as well, whether it be huge bumblebees or resident cats and dogs.

A bumblebee on 'Rocky Mountain' penstemon in Colorado.

The Garden Bloggers Fling is the perfect excuse to travel with other garden enthusiasts. But in the past three years, it has become more than just a destination gardening event where I find inspiration from talented gardeners featured in the fling.

What I love most about the fling is the automatic connection I share with other garden bloggers thanks to our shared passion for gardening.

Want to read more about this year's fling? Click here to see the list of posts (it's updated regularly).

If you have a garden blog and want more info on how you can attend a future fling, click here to read the attendance guidelines.

West Hartford, Conn. — When it comes to garden goals, the roses at Elizabeth Park have set the bar high.

The rose garden, centrally located within the park, reaches peak bloom during June but continues flowering through September. But the arches, covered in rambling roses, only blooms once — reaching peak bloom in late June-early July. The 75 rose arches are spread across 2.5 acres.

Now's the time to visit the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States to catch the blooming ramblers before they fade.

The rose varieties on the arches includes the pink ‘Dorothy Perkins’ and ‘Excelsa’ roses. There is a 'Crimson Rambler' and a ‘White Dorothy’ variety as well. The rose arches “radiate” from the center vine-covered gazebo.

The arches were being restored in 2016 when I last wrote about the garden, so I was happy to see they were returning to their former glory this season.

It's easy to see why the rose arches are so adored by visitors and photographers.

Of course, there are other roses to view as well; 15,000, or 800 varieties in fact.

The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset. While there is no admission charge, donations are accepted to help care for the park.

Edible crops thriving - again - in my Eco Garden

The snap pea pods towered above me. They have been protected from garden pests. They haven't experienced any fluctuations in watering.

I couldn't wait.

I began eating them before they even made it inside the house.

When I sowed those pea seeds back on March 31, I put faith in knowing that I would eventually get to this moment.

‘Spring Blush’ snap pea from Pinetree Garden Seeds.

In typical New England fashion, spring started out on the chillier side. I was able to sow my spring crops in the Eco Garden System earlier than in my raised beds along the driveway because the soil inside the Eco Garden System had warmed up faster. That's because the Eco Garden System is elevated off the ground.

The growth of the plants was steady throughout the spring. I recently traveled to Colorado for the Garden Bloggers Fling and when I returned, I was astounded at how much my edibles in the Eco Garden System had grown. I came home to a bountiful crop of snap peas, and the carrots and beets have doubled in size, too. The lettuce is growing in the shade of the taller snap peas, and the fernleaf dill is also doing well.

‘Little Crunch’ snap pea from Renee's Garden Seeds.

Setting gardeners up for success

I've had the Eco Garden System set up in my driveway for three years now, and it has really changed my edible gardening for the better.

The first year I grew edibles in the Eco Garden System, I was happy to see how well the plants performed. I love that I can use this portion of my driveway to grow plants. (Urban settings, perhaps only with only a small patio to work with, can also benefit from the Eco Garden System.)

Because it has a built-in water reservoir at the bottom of the unit, it encourages plants to grow deep roots to reach it. On hot days, I rarely need to worry about watering the plants or coming home and finding them wilting. In this way, the Eco Garden System continually sets me up for success.

The Eco Garden System also keeps pests like groundhogs away from my plants. Recently an insatiable groundhog has been making his way through my garden. He helped himself to my grow bags and the flat of zinnia seedlings I started hardening off outside. But all the vegetables in the Eco Garden were safe from his path of destruction, because this raised garden is 39 inches off the ground.

Eco Garden System 1; Groundhog 0.

Next up: summer crops

As you know, I've already started harvesting my snap peas. I'm eagerly awaiting for the carrots and beets to be ready as well. Most of these crops will finish in the next few weeks and then it will be on to summer crops. I'll be starting those seeds under my grow lights so that way I can pop them into the Eco Garden System when it's time. (Hint: it will be an AAS Winner.)

I was provided an Eco Garden System in 2017 to try out in my Zone 6b garden. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you are interested in purchasing your own Eco Garden System, click here to use my discount code.