The Secret to a Beautiful and Bountiful Vegetable Garden

The first time that New Jersey's Resh Gala tried to grow tomatoes, she didn't get a single edible fruit, thanks to blossom end rot and other struggles.

- Marisa Reyes and Kristin Beane Sullivan

But she was determined to learn from her failure. The next year, she had more encouraging results in her small raised bed and decided to keep growing. Since then, she's learned that not everything will be perfect: Whether it's a new pest infestation, bad weather or something else, every year is different. But when one crop struggles, another one usually thrives. This determination to keep trying new things and continue gardening through difficulties lead to Resh being named 2020 Gardener of the Year by Burpee Home Gardens. Now she's launched a business, Hundred Tomatoes LLC, to help other aspiring gardeners achieve their hoped-for harvests, and written the book Vegetable Gardening Made Easy. Her specialty is intensively planting herbs, flowers and vegetables together in raised beds that are both visually striking and productive.

Resh says, “Most home gardeners seek a beautiful garden that takes minimal time and effort to thrive.” That’s why she recommends polyculture gardening—growing several types of plants together in the same space. It’s a very different look than the traditional rowed-out vegetable garden. This planting style mimics nature, reducing pest problems while attracting pollinators and beneficial insects in a healthy backyard ecosystem. Learn some of her favorite plant combinations in “Companion Planting” at right.