1. Plants want to survive.

Plants want to be tested. They need to push from their seeds, fight the other ‘weeds’ that could beat them for space, survive the wind and rain, and grow. They want to do this! Don’t beat yourself up if you forget to water the plants for a couple of days. Just don’t go a week without water in the middle of an Eastern shore July. That’s far too much fighting for the plants.

2. It’s easiest to pull ‘weeds’ right after a rainstorm.

Does this need explanation? I will say that it took me three years of gardening to learn this. YOU’RE WELCOME.

3. Soil is alive.

This might sound silly, but before getting into gardening a few years ago, I thought of dirt as just plain dirt. Now, I know better–dirt is full of microorganisms that challenge and feed the different plants. Even more, the right combinations of certain macronutrients (like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) will make the garden flourish.

4. If you plant it, the bugs and birds will come.

Similar to a baseball field, if you build the environment, you’ll find the wildlife will follow. I’ve never seen so many exciting bugs and birds in my yard. My neighbors love it.

5. I’m obsessed with the weather.

I can tell you when it’s about to rain, even if the sky is blue. It starts with listening to (and observing) your plants. Every day. Watch their behavior and they’ll tell you when the rain is comin’. Or just check weather.com–sometimes they know, too.