Spring Is Just Around the Corner [REALLY, it is!] -- Plan Your Garden Now!

Who doesn't love to thumb through garden catalogs in the dead of winter, when it's 10 degrees outside, snow on the ground, and you just can't seem to get warm?! 

Flowers...and herbs...and vegetable gardens -- images that warm you and bring the sunshine into your home.

I love the idea of mini-gardens...celebrating the art of gardening and design, without all the fuss.

I was thrilled to discover Potting Shed Creations, and ordered three "gardens" I can't wait to use.

My Vegetable Garden kit is simple and ready when I am...

The perfect way to grow and cultivate a garden, the kit includes 8 varieties of seed, stakes, marking pencil [so I don't forget what I planted, when and where!] and some easy to follow instructions.

And what would my veggies be without fresh herbs, you ask? I'm ready with my Mini Garden-in-a-Pail ~ in this case, my herb garden.

A container garden in a leak proof, US made galvanized pail and all the ingredients to grow exceptional herbs. I have at the ready (for warm weather and sunshine, that is) my Organic Mixed Herb collection [basil, parsley, garlic chives]. 


I can't wait.

These pails are also available in 
heirloom lavender; 
forget-me-nots; 
mini tomatoes; 
and mixed zinnia.

Now my food planting is over, and the real pleasure of gardening begins...flowers.

My selections included "Scatter Gardens" -- you know, for those areas you don't want to mow! 

Perfect for creating striking drifts of color and texture...they come in:

     Butterfly habitat

     Hummingbird habitat

     Honeybee habitat

     Wildflower habitat

     Fragrant habitat

     and, 
     for those of you without a lot of sun,

                                                                            Shadeflower habitat

Now I'm spoiled. I didn't want to have to scatter anything. I just want to pop the lid, place in sun, water as needed and viola! Flowers.

I chose my favorite, brighten any day flower -- sunflower! I ordered the Mini Garden-in-a-Pail [kids] Sunflower. Hey, we're all kids at heart.  

It includes a recycled steel pail, children's garden gloves (which I'll have to give away), heirloom sunflower seeds, soil and growing directions. And get this, the ribbon around the pail is made [in the US] from recycled plastic bottles.

Goodbye winter, and hurry up spring. I want to grow things...

As always, shop locally to see if your favorite shop carries 
any of these products; if not...

find POTTING SHED CREATIONS online

Bev Shaffer is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and culinary instructor. She can be reached through her website, Bev Shaffer or at Bev's Email.