diff --git a/app/views/plantings/_form.html.haml b/app/views/plantings/_form.html.haml
index 9be9d192f..9a332b0f1 100644
--- a/app/views/plantings/_form.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/plantings/_form.html.haml
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@
 
   .control-group
     = f.label 'What did you plant?', :class => 'control-label'
-    .controls= collection_select(:planting, :crop_id, Crop.all(:order => :system_name), :id, :system_name)
+    .controls= collection_select(:planting, :crop_id, Crop.all(:order => :system_name), :id, :system_name, :selected => params[:crop_id])
   .control-group
     = f.label 'Where did you plant it?', :class => 'control-label'
-    .controls= collection_select(:planting, :garden_id, Garden.where(:user_id => current_user), :id, :name)
+    .controls= collection_select(:planting, :garden_id, Garden.where(:user_id => current_user), :id, :name, :selected => params[:garden_id])
   .control-group
     = f.label 'When?', :class => 'control-label'
     .controls= f.datetime_select :planted_at, options = { :include_blank => true }, html_options = { :class => "span1" }
diff --git a/spec/views/plantings/new.html.haml_spec.rb b/spec/views/plantings/new.html.haml_spec.rb
index 586d71f51..dac385d3d 100644
--- a/spec/views/plantings/new.html.haml_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/views/plantings/new.html.haml_spec.rb
@@ -23,13 +23,43 @@ describe "plantings/new" do
                           :password => "irrelevant")
       @user.confirm!
       sign_in @user
-      render
+
+      # create gardens and crops to populate dropdowns
+      @garden1 = Garden.create!(
+        :id => 1,
+        :user_id => @user.id,
+        :name => 'Garden1'
+      )
+      @garden2 = Garden.create!(
+        :id => 2,
+        :user_id => @user.id,
+        :name => 'Garden2'
+      )
+
+      @crop1 = Crop.create!(
+        :id => 1,
+        :system_name => 'Tomato',
+        :en_wikipedia_url => 'http://blah'
+      )
+      @crop2 = Crop.create!(
+        :id => 2,
+        :system_name => 'Corn',
+        :en_wikipedia_url => 'http://blah'
+      )
+      @crop3 = Crop.create!(
+        :id => 3,
+        :system_name => 'Chard',
+        :en_wikipedia_url => 'http://blah'
+      )
+
+      # params to test default choice of crop and garden
+      # XXX this is very wrong! but we are still trying to figure out
+      # how to do it the right way. commiting as is, for now.
+      render :template => 'plantings/new',
+        :params => { :crop_id => 2, :garden_id => 2 }
     end
 
     it "renders new planting form" do
-      render
-
-      # Run the generator again with the --webrat flag if you want to use webrat matchers
       assert_select "form", :action => plantings_path, :method => "post" do
         assert_select "select#planting_garden_id", :name => "planting[garden_id]"
         assert_select "select#planting_crop_id", :name => "planting[crop_id]"
@@ -37,5 +67,15 @@ describe "plantings/new" do
         assert_select "textarea#planting_description", :name => "planting[description]"
       end
     end
+
+    it "selects a crop given in a param" do
+      assert_select "select#planting_crop_id",
+        :html => /option value="2" selected="selected"/
+    end
+
+    it "selects a garden given in a param" do
+      assert_select "select#planting_garden_id",
+        :html => /option value="2" selected="selected"/
+    end
   end
 end