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Sure, it seems sick and cruel to be talking about planting things with a foot of snow on the ground and winter refusing to get out of town, but the good gardener always plans ahead.Nothing says spring quite like a handful of dirt from your backyard, and for those looking for tips on how to prevent that patch of lettuce from turning into an oozing black blob, the Web is the place to turn.
Serious gardening freaks with acres of heirloom tomatoes and novice diggers who have trouble keeping a single plant alive all turn to the Web for advice, gabbing on chat groups and open forums about their great little patch of earth.
There’s also plenty of what, for lack of a better term, could be called plant porn: softly lit shots of exotic plants, perfect cucumbers and glistening peppers.
Like most things on the Web, it can all get a bit silly. Even so, there’s nothing better than eating your own food. Come harvest time, you’ll thank yourself.
The self-proclaimed Internet Gardening Community, complete with handy tips, forums, a botanical glossary and a mystery plant contest. There is also, of course, an online store.
www.organicgardening.com
Do the right thing and keep your backyard pesticide-free.
www.goforgreen.ca/gardening
More helpful tips for the budding organic gardener.
Heaven for herb fans (not of the pothead variety). The online home of the popular herb warehouse, where you can browse through thousands of products and have seeds delivered to your door.
Why just grow regular tomatoes when you can grow odd-looking gems like the Arkansas Traveler, the Mortgage Lifter and the Green Zebra? You can order seeds here and learn about what you’re getting into.
www.kidsgardening.com
Get the kids started early here with this child-friendly gardening site.
www.gardenguides.com/TipsandTechniques/container.htm
Even those without a backyard can get into the gardening groove. This site helps you grow plants on your deck or apartment window.
http://huizen.dds.nl/~autotuin/cargarden.html
Got an old car you’re not sure what to do with? Why not turn it into a car garden, as these fine folks in Amsterdam did.mattg@nowtoronto.com
