Bergers Awarded Ladybug Garden Club July Garden of the Month

Dr. Dan and Jeni Berger were awarded the July Garden of the Month by the Ladybug Garden Club for their knowledge, having the key to successful organic gardening and proving you can grow a lot in a small space! The Berger's moved to their home at 411 Ave. B in Greenville two years ago. They are the parents of Sally Ness (Joe) and Emily Shade (Aaron).

The couple not only grows a bountiful vegetable garden but have companion perennials of peonies, daisy, butterfly bush, phlox, cleome, hollyhock, Russian sage, daylilies, yarrow, coreopsis, rudbeckia and more.

Dr. Berger has always had a love for gardening which he learned from his father, Emery Berger. He grows endive from the seed of his father noting the seed companies stopped carrying this particular seed the year his father passed away in 2003. He has kept the seed from year to year and continues to grow it in their garden. The vegetable garden contains beets, carrots, rhubarb, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, snow peas, peppers, egg plant, "candy" onions, kale, asparagus, dill, Brandywine and Golden Jubilee tomatoes, and
leeks. An organic garden, done right, yields healthy, more vigorous growth and a more bountiful harvest.

Their constructed raised-bed delivers visual impact and plenty of space for plants to grow. The organic soil comes from Dan Young, Fresh Aire Farms of Union City. They use a compost bin for a neat and easy way to enrich their soil.

Their backyard retreat is a peaceful and relaxing deck near a water garden - all of the work is a reflection of the beautiful space they enjoy each day.