Gardening Odds and Ends

Thanks, Jean, for alerting me to a recent L.A, Times article about gardening. It reminded me that I haven't talked about the garden lately. Actually, since I did not plant any winter vegetables, I don't have much to talk about. This is, however, a good time of year to do a little research, see what's new in gardening and composting and plan for the spring. Even if you only plant one tomato plant in a pot this spring, try to do so. It will be fun to watch it grow, and the results will really satisfy you. In the meantime, here are two good websites to browse. http://www.blogger.com/www.gardners.com was mentioned in the L.A. Times. I spent a few minutes looking at all the great stuff they have to buy. New Bamboo Crocks for kitchen refuse is attractive and made from a sustainable material. It is $39.95. The stainless steel composting pail at $19.95 will look good in almost any kitchen and will not omit any odor. After it's full, just dump it in your composting pile outside. They also have biobags, which you can use to line the pail, or dump the contents into the bag and place in the composting pile. It's biodegradable, made from cornstarch. Other great items that they sell include gloves, knee pads, watering cans and spades. Great website.

Another good gardening website is http://www.gardenweb.com/. This site is a great resource for gardeners. They have an "ask the expert" section and a "zone buddies" section. Zone buddies is great for keeping in touch with other gardners in your area and building a network of garden buddies. They also have a section that will help you identify and describe hundreds of plants.

Finally, there is a calendar of events worldwide, so you can visit garden events wherever you travel. I feel this site would be helpful to both the casual beginning gardner and the expert.

Most importantly, get out there and do a little gardening. It's good for the mind and the body. It's so satisfying to plant something and watch it mature. Keep in mind that composting is easy and clean and will significantly reduce trash that you send to the landfill. That's good for everybody.