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A couple of weeks ago I started some seeds indoors. I was glad to see some sprouting going on already. It took 4 days for the first seeds to sprout and the temperature ranged from 62 to 65 degrees F. A grow lamp was hung a foot above the seed pots.

The first seeds to sprout were Chamomile. The seeds are miniscule, smaller than poppy seeds. As the days went on the little plants got stronger, but alas…they reached a point where damping off killed them. Perhaps it would be better to start Chamomile seeds directly where you want it to grow. Does anybody know? I’ll try it in a couple of weeks when the temps outside warm up a little more. Out last frost date is May 15, so maybe around then I’ll plant the Chamomile.

We never had any garlic in the garden until last year. The year before last we were given some bulbs from a friend. He didn’t know what kind they were, but being Italian and a great chef, we took his word that it was some great garlic. He has since remarked that we’ll be mad at him this year because we’ll have garlic all over the garden. He’s not too far off the truth, either!

We planted in about 6 garlic bulbs in the Summer of 2008. Those bulbs matured and we harvested a few. The others were let go over the winter. In the late summer their seed heads fell over and planted many new garlic sets.

The garlic sprouts were thinned out and grew last summer and left to grow and overwinter. Now they’re growing again, and noticeably so! (Photo taken 29Mar2010.)

Garlic plants in the garden, two years old.

I’m looking forward to harvesting that garlic in the weeks ahead!

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Check out this Hummingbird Antique Bronze-Style Planter (16-inch) -

Or, this smaller Gothic Planter (9-inch) -

Don’t forget, Park Seed has more than just seeds! Shop Our Most Recent Catalogs Without Leaving your Seat!

If you don’t have any plants to bring in from the cold, there are lots of houseplants you can enjoy. See what Wayside Gardens has to offer in the way of houseplants, dwarf plants and Internet-Exclusive deals from their Container Plantings for Indoor, Patio Garden From Wayside Gardens.

Gardener’s Supply Company: Save up to 50% in our Garden Outlet

With a 50% off Sale, you can’t go wrong. Sure, the garden centers will all be having their season close out sales. I prefer shopping online – you can see so much more and never leave home.

I never know what I’ll find…look at these cute chickens for the flower garden:

How about a new planter for some of those herbs you’ll be bringing in soon?

(Those pictures are links to the catalog!)

Check out Gardener’s Supply Fall Sale: Save $10 off orders of $65 or more!

Free Shipping!

If you like roses and you’re ready to shop for perennial plants to grace your garden, you’re gonna love this deal. A new promotion by Wayside Gardens offers you a free Don Juan Rose – check it out:

Offer: Receive FREE Don Juan Rose with $75 Purchase at WaysideGardens

Coupon Code: FREEROSE
Expires: 04/30/2008

During the checkout process look for “Enter Bonus Codes Here”
Coupon code is required to get discount.

Visit Wayside Gardens and look at their selection of perennials. You might find something you like!

Composting is a major part of reusing materials. Yes, our mantra reduce, reuse, recycle can be put to work in our gardens. Avoiding the purchase of fertilizers and insecticides is a side benefit of making the best compost. Read on to learn more in this great resource, World’s Best Compost.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll discover in Worlds Best Compost:

• The method of feeding plants in a totally natural way that results in the most tastiest, divine food you and your family will ever have.
• Why do you use much less water in your garden now using colloidal humus compost? (and how you will be saving money and effort and the environment)
• What’s the sheep mentality that almost all agriculture and garden advisors suffer from that costs you time and money on dangerous, toxic gardening and horticulture practices. (and is killing our planet in the process)?
• How to achieve a soil that “feeds itself” so you always get consistent results!

Read more about composting!

Some of the varieties that may be available include: American Arborvitae, Eastern White Pine, Black Walnut, Red Maple, White Oak, American Cranberry and Serviceberry. Birdhouse kits and Wildflower mixes are also available by some districts.

You might want to act fast though, a few conservation districts in our region are no longer accepting orders. Clinton County will take orders until April 1, Union County until April 7, and Synder County until March 31, 2008, to name a few that are still accepting orders.

The seedlings are inexpensive and the monies go toward supporting the Conservation Districts. Do something a little green today. Purchase a few seedlings and support an organization that helps to educate our children about conservation of our natural heritage.

In the catalog guide you’ll find contact information for 92 companies that offer seeds and plants for your gardens, including their addresses, phone numbers and clickable links to their online offerings.

The original database was trimmed down to include only companies located in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, federal regulations have stopped shipments of live plants coming in from Canada and other parts of the world. Some foreign companies have voluntarily quit shipping anything to the U.S. due to the newer, more stringent rules. That’s ok, we’d like to show our support for businesses that can claim Made in the U.S.A., so from now on we’ll only be mentioning American businesses.

Make sure to check out the websites as many of these companies have Web Only Specials that you might like to take advantage of!

Beyond the contact info, the catalog guide describes products from each company so you can find out who is offering bulbs and who is selling lettuce seeds.

Our goal is to ultimately provide an online service that is searchable so you can find where to purchase tarragon seeds or mesclun mixes for your early Spring garden.

If you sign up for usethatherb’s RSS feed, you’ll be notified when we have new content on usethatherb.com. Sign up today – you don’t even need to give us your email address.

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Gardening How-To
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Gardening How-To magazine, official publication of the National Home Gardening Club, is your personal guide to planning, planting and cultivating your way to a beautiful garden!

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