Good for you sorting out what issues you want to deal with and planning this way. Its possible to buy some of the commercial green bean varieties, I think Contender is one of them. Look for the type that set their beans in clusters either above or below the leaves. The thing is, commercial bean varieties are bred for uniform ripening and ease of mechanical harvesting with flavor a long way down the priority list. You'll get much tastier beans from varieties that are intended for home garden use. Blue Lake is a very popular, tried-and-true variety. Your local farm supply store is likely to carry varieties that do well in your area. Check out the bulk bins rather than the racks of little envelopes. I don't know about Colorado, but when I was in zone 5 in Massachusetts I had great results with Royal Burgundy (an improved version of Royalty), purple-pod beans. They are a lovely purple raw but turn green when cooked and have the advantage of being easy to pick because they are more visible against the leaves. If Mexican Bean Beetles are a problem in your area purple and yellow beans are less attractive to them. I used to plant Contender as a sacrificial variety to keep the beetles busy while I harvested the Royal Burgundy and the Dragon Langerie (aka Dragon Tongue). There are a number of early tomato varieties that can ripen in even the shortest summers. Its been a while since I've gardened in zone 5, but Oregon Spring comes to mind and I know that the past 10-15 years have seen the spread of a lot of Russian tomato varieties that do well in shorter, cooler summers. Some of the early-ripeners are smaller in size, but Early Girl is a time-tested, early-mainseason tomato in a quite decent size. The really big, longseason beefsteaks may not work out for you though. In theory, your local nurseries would carry varieties that do well in your area and if you can find a place that starts their own that theory could work out. Unfortunately, its increasingly common for large, greenhouse conglomerates to capture the market and supply the same varieties to everyone. So you'll need to do your research before you shop. PS -- I've never had to deal with groundhogs or gophers, but my mother-in-law had success with a .22 rifle.

You can get flats of Georgia hybrid collards at Lowe's or HD. I planted mine in mid-October and am still snipping leaves off to boil. I don't let the leaves get larger than my hand before harvesting, and they're great! the most important thing when deciding what to plant is to check your county extension service! Mine has an online "gardeners almanac" that tells you what to plant, and things to do. Here's February for Hillsborough County: WHAT TO PLANT IN FEBRUARY FLOWERS: Annuals: Ageratum, Alyssum, Arctotis, Asters, Baby's Breath, Balsam, Begonia, Bracteantha, Browallia, Calendula, California Poppy, Carnation, Diascia, Dianthus, Dusty Miller, Foxglove, Gaillardia, Geranium, Lobelia, Marguerite Daisy, Nemesia, Ornamental Cabbage/Kale, Osteospermum, Pansy, Petunia, Snapdragon, Strawflower, Sunflower, Sweet Pea, Vinca, Viola VEGETABLES: Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cantaloupes, Carrots, Celery, Collards, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Green Onions, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard, English Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radish, Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watermelon HERBS and SPICES: Anise, Basil, Bay Laurel, Borage, Caraway, Cardamon, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro/Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Ginger, Horehound, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram, Mexican Tarragon, Mint, Nasturtium, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Thyme, Watercress. BULBS: Achimenes, African Lily, Alstroemeria, Amaryllis, Amazon Lily, Aztec Lily, Blackberry Lily, Caladium, Calla, Canna, Crinum, Crocosmia, Dahlia, Gaillardia, Gladiolus, Gloriosa Lily, Hurricane Lily, Kaffir Lily, Lilies, Louisiana Iris, Morea, Rain Lilies, Society Garlic, Tiger Lily, Tritonia, Tuberose, Voodoo Lily, Walking Iris, Watsonia, WHAT TO DO IN FEBRUARY For more details on the following, call your local Extension office or visit the University of Florida s publication website: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu Plant or transplant cold hardy trees and shrubs. (See January) Fertilize citrus trees if not done in January. (See January) Fertilize annuals and vegetables. (See January) Check Out Seed and Garden Catalogs. Most gardening catalogs arrive during the winter months. Check out the new varieties offered this year. Prepare vegetable and flower gardens for spring planting. Till soil and add organic matter such as manure, compost or peat. Test pH of soil (Contact your county Cooperative Extension Service) and add lime or sulfur if necessary. Prune, mulch and fertilize roses. Roses that are older than 1 year require a major pruning each year. Remove one-third to one-half of the top growth and any unproductive growth. Strip all leaves from remaining to rid plant of latent diseases and insects. Fertilize and mulch. Prune grapes. Grapes should be pruned before leaves begin to sprout. Bunch grapes and Muscadine grapes each have different pruning requirements. Control scab disease on citrus. Scab fungus causes light brown, corky areas on fruits and leaves of susceptible citrus varieties. Spray Murcott, Page, and Temple varieties with a copper fungicide when new growth emerges and again when 2/3 of petals has fallen from the flower blossoms. Fertilize lawn and trees. Shop for a fertilizer that contains slow- or timed-release nitrogen. To determine the correct amount of fertilizer to use, simply divide the first number on the fertilizer bag (which represents nitrogen) into 100. Apply this amount per 1,000 square feet of lawn and landscape area. Broadcast the fertilizer over the soil or mulch and water. The nutrient and water absorbing roots of trees and shrubs are concentrated in the upper 6 to 12 inches of soil so there is no need to punch holes in the soil--simply water the fertilizer in. Apply mulch to all plant beds. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch will discourage weeds and retain moisture in the soil. Apply pre-emergent weed killer to lawn. Pre-emergent herbicides kill weed seeds as they germinate. Some fertilizers contain pre-emergent herbicide. Do not apply them near trees and shrubs or in areas where any seed will be planted. Carefully follow label directions. Fertilize shrubs. A good lawn fertilizer such as 12-4-8 , or 15-5-15 or the like is usually adequate. Shop for a product with 30% to 50% of the nitrogen in a water-insoluble or slow-release form. Acid-loving plants (Azaleas, Hollies, Gardenias, Camellias, etc.) will benefit from an acid-forming balanced fertilizer such as 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 . Broadcast the fertilizer on the soil surface and water in. Start vegetable and flowers from seed. Sow seeds in flats or pots in a light, sterile mix. Plant seed no deeper than twice the seed's thickness. Place in a sunny spot; keep warm and moist. Watch new growth for aphid infestation. Aphids feed on the undersides of new, tender leaves causing curled, distorted growth. Most broad-spectrum insecticides easily control aphids, but soap solutions are effective as well. Mix 2½ tablespoons of liquid, dishwashing soap (do not use those containing a degreaser  use 1/3 less for concentrated soaps) in one gallon of water. Forceful sprays of water can dislodge aphids.

When you grow out Early Girl or Early Girl Improved, you'll get 25% potato leaf (PL) seedlings, indicating one of the two parent lines are PL. I don't know it Bush Early Girl will give the same results. But that might be one way to tell if Bush Early Girl = Red Satin ... if the F2s segregate similarly. Curiously, 4th of July (another variety I believe to be from the same breeder/vendors) segregates 25% PL in the F2 as well and the PLs look very close to Early Girl F2 PLs. But Early Girl, Early Girl Improved and 4th of July are indeterminates. Is Bush Early Girl indeterminate or determinate? Was Red Velvet determinate? Bush Early Girl was almost impossible to get a year or two ago. Everyone ran out of stock and said it was discontinued. Now it's available again. Another funny thing is now Early Girl seeds and plants are being sold as "Early Girl" (the previous name) rather than "Early Girl Improved" which just leads me to wonder what the heck is up with Burpee and Peto :::shrug::: Personally, I wouldn't put much stock in Burpee's public relations department emails. Nope.

Meantime on land that you have control over, plant what you like, rip out what you don't Such a narrow view. There are choices that some people make on their own land that affect others. That is what invasives are all about. Similar to pollution - people that create it (on their own property) eventually share it with others. Was it right that they did what they wanted on their own land? What about if you dump pollution in a stream on your own land but it flows downstream to others? Just like streams, private properties are not isolated, they connect together. To me, and others, invasive plants affect all of us at some point. And yes, bad diseases and pests have been brought in on imported plants by people that thought they could do what they wanted. And now Elms, Chestnuts and Hemlocks are dead and dying. True, it was an accident, no one did this this on purpose; but this is one of the risks that come with "doing what you want". And it affected LOTS of people and even wildlife. I don't know if that was the source of the dogwood issues, btw. I'd like to encourage everyone to think beyond yourself and consider that your actions can have impacts on other people and the environment. When you're considering new plants, research them and find out what they're about. Make an informed decision.