When I was planning my first vegetable garden, I had a romantic vision of how it would go.

I would sit on the back porch with a bowl full of peas, fresh from the garden. With great pride, I’d look out at neat rows of lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips, herbs, and potatoes, shelling the tender peas into a clean bowl. A few wouldn’t make it into the bowl—how plump and sweet they’d be!

This scenario did play itself out. But soon the next batch of peas needed to be shelled.

And the next.

And the next.

And the next.

And the next.

Shelling peas became a chore.

Now I only grow snap peas, which I like just as much, but require no shelling.

Over the years, I’ve picked up quite a few tips, tricks, and reality checks for growing vegetables and berries at home. Here are 10 of them.