What to do if you're stuck indoors

If you're stuck indoors today, Linn County Master Gardener, Lisa Slattery, offers a good suggestion on battling cabin fever:

 Its seed catalog time! It's like Christmas all over again for gardeners. The seed catalogs are full of beautiful pictures and luscious descriptions of plants that sound perfect…and easy to grow. This is true, to some extent, but there are a few things you should keep in mind when ordering seeds and plants for this year's growing season. 

 Unless you have an acreage or farm (which many of you do) you might not have enough space to accommodate everything you want to grow. This is when you make a list. Write down everything your heart desires, set it aside for a day (or an hour if you can't stand it any longer.) Re-visit your list and prioritize what you really can grow and what your fantasy garden grows. Then also keep in mind…

 Zone -  if you're planting annuals, go wild, since they are intended for one season only. If you are planning for more long-term perennials or shrubs, make sure they are zone hardy (I suggest zone 4). That said I do have some tender perennials that I schlep inside in the winter – then out again in the spring. It's just more work if you don't plant for your zone.

 Light - don't order full sun plants if you don't have at least 6 hours of full sun each day. If plants don't receive proper sunlight they won't bloom, won't be as vigorous; become more stressed and susceptible to disease and pests, eventually perishing. 

 Growing season - make sure you can reap your harvest before the snow flies again next fall. In Iowa we just don't have the luxury of a super long growing season, so plan accordingly and start seeds indoors that require a longer time to get growing.

 Size and Color -  some people are terrific planners (remember the New Year's Resolution to keep a garden journal?) and some aren't. That's OK but you'll want to keep in mind the space that your plants will command at full width and height as well as good color combinations. Plants planted too closely together will invite disease and pests. 

 Then when you have finally decided what you really can grow successfully, throw caution to the wind and plant one new wild and spectacular thing to see if it might just grow for you!