gardening

Zone 4 gardening is tough. It's even tougher when you're a gardening idiot but here's what's working for me indoors at the end of March.

Finding the best gardening book for you is easier than you think. If you're a beginner, get a book for beginners with lots of pictures and easy-to-read tables. Trust me on this one.

January and February are tough months to say you love this place. Yeah, the skiing is generally great but the weather is notoriously unpredictable with some days significantly below zero and others unseasonably "messy warm" in the 40s.

As we've discussed, I know it's really too early to be starting anything but Winter is getting the best of me and planting seeds keeps me out of trouble. Here's what we've got so far:

Montanans like pretty things. Montanans like guns. Put them together and what do you get? Flower Shells! This might one of the coolest (and most fun) inventions I've ever seen. They're shotgun shells loaded with flower seeds. Uh, YEAH!

Zone 4 gardening is frustrating. Our frost free date isn't until late June, so starting seeds indoors in January might be jumping the gun a little. I don't care. I did it anyway. Here's what I've got planned:

If you like to keep track of your gardening habits and experiments, take a look at this free and printable gardening journal. I spent quite a bit of time looking for the right one.

Gardeners and wanna-be gardeners get twitchy this time of year. With snow covering everything, Winter Storm Warnings happening every week and the walls starting to cave in we want to GROW things. Get ready for what the short Montana growing season has to offer.

It's surprising to learn how much stuff you're SUPPOSED to do in the Fall to keep your lawn healthy. It took me all year to get mine green after being neglected so I was more than eager to find out what I can do now to ensure a better lawn next Spring.

I must know more about this crocus that is planted in late summer and blooms weeks later. A light purple variety was spotted at the Gallatin Rest Home and was absolutely stunning for at least a couple of weeks.

95-1 The MOOSE is made up of an eclectic group of folks, and our Chief Engineer, Dennis Mountford grows giant food. All the time.

..."the most interesting man in the world" might have some choice words for what I've just done.