Heat Mats for Indoor Seed Germination by Brenda Sterns

Photo:Suncore

As March brings 50-60°F warm days combined with all the winter snows, our yards are showing slight signs of life. For many of us, this tinge of greenness ushers forth images of what our 2024 gardens will hold.  What will we grow – vegetables, annuals, perennials?   We know the last frost date is two months away and now is the time to start seeds indoors.  As you eagerly grab your seeds, pots, and soil to start your best garden ever, take a moment to think about heat mats.

Preparing Your Soil for Winter by Nancy Shepard

 

Photo by Lukas. Pexel.com

By November you’ve probably pulled out your dead vegetable plants, pulled out plant stakes, cleaned up your perennial areas, and mulched the leaves over your lawn. But what about your soil? We usually think of our garden soil in the spring when we get ready to plant and want to amend it. But you can do some beneficial things for your soil before winter arrives.