A great way to shake off the winter blues and get a jump on spring is to start plants from seed indoors. It's not only fun and easy to do but also rewarding, since it allows home gardeners the opportunity to grow plant varieties that may not be available from local plant growers. The opportunities are endless with many unique varieties of flowers, vegetables, and even ornamental vines available in seed form.

To get started, come visit our seed department. Once you have made your selections, look on the back of the packet for basic information such as germination time, and an estimate of how long to grow the plant indoors before transplanting into the garden. Find out the average safe date for transplanting your chosen plant(s) in our area, and then count backwards to find out how early you can start your seeds. If you have a greenhouse or cold frame to transplant into, adjust accordingly.

The best containers to use are shallow seed-starting trays with covers. If using containers from a previous growing season, wash them with a solution of one part household bleach to nine parts water to sterilize them. This helps prevent the transfer of disease. Another good option is to use peat pots or peat pellets (both very handy when you get to transplanting).

For good germination results, fill your containers with a light starter soil mix that has good drainage and moisture retention properties. Do not use garden soil. Make sure to wet your soil mix and allow it to drain before sowing the seeds into your containers.

Find a warm location in your home with plenty of light, or an area where you can mount a light above the plants. Most plants need only moisture and warmth to germinate, but will need the light to grow once they sprout leaves. Plain fluorescent light bulbs are fine when starting seeds but consider using at least one "grow light" if you are going to keep the plants under lights for an extended time (if you are trying to get full-sized plants by transplant time, you'll need a grow light or a very bright window). Remember that seedlings will quickly become weak and leggy plants if they don't receive enough light.

Most seeds need a soil temperature above 65 degrees or above to germinate. If you have trouble maintaining that temperature, consider using a heating mat. Covering your containers with plastic will help hold in moisture and create a humid environment that encourages the seed to germinate. That's why the covered seed starting trays are the easiest containers to use.

Make sure your plants don't get too hot under the plastic, especially if you have the containers in a sunny area or under a warm light. Remove the plastic as soon as you see any signs of germination. Keep the soil mix evenly moist, and use lukewarm water if possible. Water very gently to avoid disturbing the tender seedlings.

When your seed germinates, it will send up a sprout with two seed leaves called cotyledons. After that, true leaves will follow. Begin feeding your seedlings weekly with a half-strength solution of fertilizer (ask us which is best for what you are growing) when the first true leaves develop. Continue feeding the seedlings until they are ready to be transplanted. The plants will be ready when the entire root ball is held together by the plant roots.

Make sure to harden off your plants before transplanting them into the garden. "Hardening off" is the process of acclimating plants to the light, humidity, and temperatures found outdoors. Start by placing your seedling containers outdoors in a shaded, sheltered location for a couple of hours per day. Gradually increase the time spent outside by an hour each day for at least a week before transplanting the seedling. In general, it is best to plant the seedlings at the same level they were grown in their pot. Tomatoes are an exception that can be buried deeper than they grew in the pot--they will grow roots from the buried portion of the stem.

After transplanting, if your neighbors ask where you bought all those wonderful plants, just tell them, "They're homegrown!"

Rabbits are one of the most loved and adored animals around. They are kept as pets, appear in children's books and even have a celebrated icon in the Easter Bunny. So it's hard for some people to believe that they can also be one of the country's greatest pests. But a few happy rabbits can wipe out a nice garden in no time.

Rabbits will devour a wide variety of plant material. Small plants can be ripped right out of the ground, and other damage can be identified by chew marks on older woody growth, clean-cut clipping of young stems, and rabbits' distinctive round droppings.

What makes controlling rabbits so difficult is that they reproduce quickly and often. Although their life expectancy is 12 to 15 months, they can produce up to four litters per year, with as many as six young per litter. The young are born in shallow nests in the ground but are able to leave the nest in two to four weeks.

Although baby bunnies can look cute when they are young, they will quickly establish their feeding patterns and favorite places to visit. Making matters worse is that most rabbits are random eaters--taking a nibble here and there every night until most of your landscape has been damaged.

While some people have success trapping rabbits using traps filled with carrots, fruits and other vegetables, the easiest way to control them is to make your garden undesirable with the use of repellants. We recommend a two-pronged approach that odorizes not only the soil but the plant foliage as well.

Dry soil repellants can be shaken out right onto the soil surface; we recommend applying around the garden perimeter. Liquid repellants can be sprayed directly onto the foliage of their favorite (damaged) plants. It is important to re-apply the repellents according to package directions until you have broken the feeding patterns of the rabbits. Signs to look for are new growth appearing on plants and a decrease in droppings.

Rabbits have many of the same plant tastes as deer, so another solution is to plant deer-resistant plants in your landscape.

This Week's Question:
If you were growing plants of the genus Fragaria, what would you be growing?

1. Apples
2. Gardenias
3. Jasmine
4. Lilacs
5. Strawberries

This Week's Prize:
$10 Gift Certificate

Last Week's Question:
Alaska's Official State Flower is the Myosotis alpestris - better known as the...?

1. Alaska Poppy
2. Arctic Sandwort
3. Forget-me-not
4. Serviceberry
5. Siberian phlox

Last Week's Prize:
$10 Gift Certificate

Last Week's Winner:
Congratulations, Lois Smith!

Last Week's Answer:
Answer: Answer: C. Forget-me-not (Editor's. note: appropriate, considering they get left off of US maps half the time...)

One winner per question. To pick up your prize, if you are the winner, just bring in some form of ID and tell us you were the winner.

What You'll Need:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pound chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon italian seasonging
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid
• 1/4 cup elbow macaroni
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese, grated (optional, as a garnish)

Step by Step:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat.
• Add garlic, leek, carrots, zucchini, green beans and celery.
• Cover, and reduce heat to low.
• Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
• Stir in the stock, tomatoes and italian seasoning.
• Bring to a boil, then replace the lid, and reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Stir in the cannellini beans with liquid and pasta.
• Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Refrigerate till the next day to let flavor intensify, then heat and serve.
• Garnish with parmesan (optional).

Yield: 4 servings

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