The 2009 All-Seasons Garden Guide: Editor's Note

The spring’s behavior here is spent
To make the world magnificent.
–John Drinkwater, English writer (1882-1937)

All of us at the Garden Guide are gardeners of one sort or another, and this spring will find us once more out in the soil:

• My long-delayed project is to divide my mature dahlias, daylilies, hostas, and astilbes and create small gardens. –Margo
• This is Year Two of The Great Tomato Experiment. We’ll be starting heirloom tomatoes from seeds that we froze last year. –Jack
• Peas and bush beans in containers—my usual. –Heidi
• My favorite perennial is ground phlox; I am going to line my driveway with them. –Sarah
• Seeds saved last year—cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias—are already sprouting on the windowsills! –Mary-Anne
• My 3-year-old son and I are going to plant vegetable seeds for the first time—leafy greens that can take some shade. –Catherine    

For me, it will be an all-edibles year: veggies, fruit, and herbs. What are you doing in your garden?

• Looking for ways to use water wisely? Consider our ideas for catching rain and runoff (page 30) or defying drought (page 88).
• Growing groceries? Start small and harvest big with a beginner’s guide (page 34) and plot plan (page 37) or get into a Mexican food mood by growing the ingredients for a fiesta feast (page 54).
• Perhaps, for you, love is in the air? Wander down a path of plants that inspire and evoke romance (page 98).

These are a few of the fun and easy ideas in this issue—and they’re just the beginning. You can find us and other gardeners at your fingertips via Almanac.com. If you have a question or an idea or simply want to share your experience, we want to hear it. Wishing you a colorful and bountiful growing season!

Janice Stillman, Editor