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Plan spring garden now
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[DEC.
6, 2004]
URBANA -- Like midwinter
snowstorms, gardening catalogs will arrive in flurries, said a
University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. |
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"Take advantage of the cold winter days
to sit down with these catalogs and start planning your garden,"
said Sharon Yiesla. "While enjoying the catalogs, keep some
practical things in mind. What is the company's policy on returns if
plants arrive damaged or seeds fail to sprout? Will the company
substitute if the item you order is out of stock? If you are
ordering perennials, trees or shrubs, are they hardy to your area?"
Consumers should make the most of the
information available in the catalogs. Most catalogs will provide
information on disease resistance, improved hybrids, the number of
days to maturity on vegetable crops and even the proper growing
conditions for each plant.
"Combine this information with past
experience in your own garden and you should be able to make good
selections for next spring," Yiesla said. "Avoid getting carried
away and ordering more seeds or plants than you can use. Try a few
new things each year, but don't abandon tried and true plants and
varieties that have performed well in your garden."
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this article]
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Yiesla noted that it is never too early
to start planning.
"Ordering early will help ensure that
you have your seeds and plants in time," she said. "Spring will be
here before you know it, and you will save time if you have your
garden ready for those first warm spring days."
[University of Illinois news
release]
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