Each winter, gardeners begin to pore over seed catalogs and anticipate the arrival of the season's new catalogs as much as the first blooms of the growing season! Now, using the Web, you needn't wait by your mailbox. Of course, the web is also full of other gardener's helpers, from tool information and planting calendars to ideas for organic pest control solutions and garden design.

Novice gardeners learn, as I did, that the variety available in seed catalogs surpasses what's available at the local garden store seed rack, and it's more fun to plan when you can take your time to browse the catalogs. Names such as Burpee and Shepherds are well known, and available online! You can also check out newer companies, and those that offer garden specialties, like tropicals or peppers...saving your mailman the back strain of delivering all of the year's catalogs!

Since much gardening wisdom is specific to location, I used to find that buying a garden book was impractical. You'd search through the book to find your zone's information, which was only a small part of the book's contents. Web sites organized by zones offer the solution: local advice from real experts in the field. And, happily, many experts will even respond to questions on specific problems, from aphids to zinnia varieties.

Since seeds are the true "starting point." let's begin by looking at some of the catalogs. Whatever you are looking for, you can find it, so it's best to decide how you'd prefer to go about your search, and go from there. In my search, I found the Mining Company Vegetable Garden page, which has quite a few links. (You'll want to spend some time surfing to find the catalogs that meet your needs. )

I was just as engrossed in the site as I tend to be with the mail order catalogs, and you probably will be too. One important note: you should choose a seed company not by the site but by the seeds, even though it is tempting to use a company because you like the website. Only experience can prove the quality of a garden product.

If you plan to write for some catalogs not available online, you can find addresses for just about every garden catalog company on: Cyndi Johnson's searchable list. Another place to find Plant & Seed Sources, Garden Suppliers & Services is Barbara Barton's Garden by Mail.

This site is very easy to use and has secure online ordering. (This means it is safe to use your credit card online.) Using Shepherd's excellent catalog engine, you can look for seeds in three main categories; vegetables, herbs and flowers, in pull down menus at the top of your screen. Or, you can look for anything you want, or browse.

One of the "biggies" in the seed world. On the Johnny's site, you can currently download the 1998 Commercial Catalog (In PDF Format).

This site is beautiful on your monitor, and represents a beautiful idea as well. Seeds of change represents an effort to preserve diversity of Earth's life, by making heirloom (or old-fashioned) varieties available. All of the company's seeds are certified organic, which means nothing harmful to the earth was used to bring these seeds to your garden.

I've only mentioned a few of the hundreds of online catalogs, so you should be sure to visit more, by following links available at The Mining Company's Vegetable Garden site.

When you want to ask an expert a question, you have many options--commercial, academic, even homepages of devoted gardeners offer question/answer capabilities.

One "ripe" possibility is the Virtual Garden site, which has an expert site and a lot more to offer, including a really nice garden product "mall" that is visually appealing and constantly updated. Some others to check out are AgAnswers and PlantAnswers, from the Ag Extension in Texas. For insect related questions, try Cornell University's Extension Service.

Some of the best tools for your garden (besides good gloves and a rake) may be online. Barbara Barton's Gardening by Mail is available at the Virtual Garden Site, then follow the links. Some, but not all, of the features of this amazing site are: Plant & Seed Sources, Garden Suppliers & Services, Plant Societies, Professional & Trade Organizations, Garden Magazines, Recommended Books, and perhaps the most helpful, Barbara's Latest Burning Question.

Another great tool can be found on the National Gardening Association's site: the NGA Dictionary of Horticulture (and Plant Namefinder). You can look up more than 15,000 gardening terms or search for the common or Latin name of a particular plant. While visiting this site, check out links to school gardens (a hot topic in education right now), societies and organizations, and specialty plants, with the use of frames that let you stay on the NGA site.

An excellent tool for anyone interested in kid's gardening is the Missouri Botanical Gardens MBGNet, which puts you in touch with other classrooms around the country, features contests and resources related to youth gardening, and generally everything makes you wish you grew up in a garden! If you interested in this topic, be sure to follow some of these links, or others available from the NGA site (www.garden.org), to connect with other youth gardeners. (Or send me email, and I can help you to reach others.)

A garden makes everyone feel good. There are methods and ideas that make it possible for EVERYONE to access gardens, regardless of physical abilities. One inspiring site on the topic of Enabling gardens is Josh's Homepage.

Best wishes for a fruitful growing season! Visit FolksOnline's bulletin board to share your garden suggestions and questions!