Seeing the Sites

from HCMG's new Blog Editor, Tanya Bennett

Hello, and thanks for the opportunity to serve as the new editor of this blog! I’m a spring 2026 Master Gardener trainee, so I still have lots to learn. Nonetheless, I hope my 30 years of trial-and-error gardening, along with access to the Hall County Extension Office and Master Gardener experts, will enable me to offer you some helpful insights as we get our hands dirty in our respective landscapes.

Learning from the Past

One lesson that is hitting home once again for me this spring is the advice to choose plants and sites that are well-suited to one another. Doing so can reduce labor and heartache, as well as lowering water and soil amendment costs. I’ll admit that as a native West Texan living in the Georgia Piedmont, it took me several years to give up on squash, for example, even after multiple encounters with downy mildew and other pathogens. My raised beds are on the south side of my house just behind a retaining wall. Although this garden seems to get plenty of sun, the retaining wall limits airflow, trapping heat and moisture, and casting a bit of morning shade when leaves are still wet with dew. This microclimate, it turns out, just isn’t the right one for healthy squash. 

Careful Plant and Site Selection for Best Outcomes

For effective site selection when planting, it’s important to pay attention to soil type, soil drainage, rainfall averages, temperature extremes and averages, amount of space available, and light patterns, among other factors that can shape microclimates (like the aforementioned retaining wall). Some of these factors can be adjusted through means such as tree-trimming for increased light, and irrigation for added moisture. But it’s hard to overstate the advantage of raising plants in a place that feels like “home” for them. Ecologies that make up “home” include not only the factors listed earlier, but also the worms, insects, birds, fungi, and microorganisms that thrive in the conditions of a place. If we look closely enough, we can see that each garden is a complex and amazing world!

Rather than grieving over squash, tomatillos, and long-day onions that might do well in West Texas, my husband and I feel lucky these days to harvest asparagus, bush beans, and banana peppers, among other delights. 

Tapping the Support Network

Here are a just few of the many resources that can help as we tackle future gardening challenges: 

• University of Georgia Extension

• New Southern Garden with Nathan Wilson

• Walter Reeves: The Southern Gardener

• Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation

• “Ask A Master Gardener” booths at

  • Spring Expo, April 3-4, 2026

  • Fall Expo, September 25-26

  • And Farmers Markets in Gainesville, Flowery Branch, and Brazelton