Winter gardening fix

Maybe you’ve got a patch of hardy collard greens and some hanger-on arugula growing in your raised bed. Maybe you were forward-thinking enough before the cold weather hit to have built a cold-frame and are still enjoying fresh lettuce. Maybe you’re waiting for overwintering garlic and onions to emerge from the soil. Maybe you’ve got no veggies planted at all. Don’t be depressed—here are several fun ways to satisfy your gardening jones during the dead of winter:

• Grow “cat grass” indoors: Wheatgrass and oat grass don’t require much light to germinate, the grass looks pretty, and cats love it!

• Attend gardening workshops, lectures and conferences: Locally, Cultivating Community NV offers gardening-related workshops (go to www.cultivatingcommunitynv.org to learn more). The Mount Lassen chapter of the California Native Plant Society offers a wealth of gardening-related activities as well (go to mountlassen.cnps.org to find out more).

• Pore over seed catalogs, both online and in print: There are the proverbial zillion catalogs available. Petaluma-based Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, for one, offers a stunningly beautiful (and free!) catalog featuring an ultra-comprehensive assortment of non-GMO, heirloom seeds (go to www.rareseeds.com/petaluma-seed-bank to order).

• Participate in seed swaps: Look for local seed-swap events, host your own or just trade seeds you saved from last season’s crop with friends. It’s a good way to add variety to your next planting.

• Plan your spring/summer garden: Grab your notebook and daydream the perfect garden plan for next season.

• Make things like trellises and garden art: Making stuff is fun, and that rose bush in the front yard would love to cling to a trellis lovingly handmade by you!

Source: Annarbor.com