If a friend forwarded this ezine to you, subscribe now at Stewart's Gardening Newsletter Be sure to pass along these important tips to friends by passing on this email.

Letter From The Editor

Though many sports fans, and in particular basketball fans, are glued to the T.V. during March Madness, we have our own March Madness going on in the gardening world. Seems nobody told Burpee Seeds and other mail order companies that there is a recession going on. They report that they are actually running out of vegetable seeds because of the high demand from consumers who are feed up with the high cost of food and safety issues.

To help you on your way to your own vegetable garden, in this issue, I've compiled many sources from the internet to inform and inspire you in your own gardening journey.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

As explained in a recent article by Gillian Flaccus at www.ksfm.com "money gardens" or "recession gardens" is what the garden industry is calling the gardens millions of families are starting in their own backyards to help cut food costs. These are similar to the victory gardens during WW II which where modeled after a patch planted by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943 at the White House which actually produced 40 percent of the nation's food during that time. Flaccus goes on to say that the National Garden Association predicts a 19 percent increase in home gardening in 2009. When you realize you can save over $2,000 on your grocery bill for a family of five, and that just $50.00 worth of gardening tools can yield up to $1,200 worth of produce annually, it's certainly worth considering.

Check out on-line catalogs page If you are looking for online resources for your seeds.You will find specials at all of them right now .

Tip: Remember to always buy hybrid seeds whenever possible. These have been breed to produce insect and disease resistant plants.

Think you don't have enough room for a garden? The Gardener's Supply Company has lots of cool planters made for a deck that are big enough to grow veggies in.

Need more inspiration? Learn how one family started their own urban homesteading project in California with just one tenth of an acre. These people are truly amazing.

• Decide where you will plant annuals
• Dig new flower beds if soil is not soggy
• Make raised beds
• Test soil and make amendments
• Get containers ready for planting

With over 2000 different items to choose from, Henry Fields is a top supplier of gardening products. We have a full array of live plants, seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs and gardening tools and supplies. Customers find our web site easy, friendly and very helpful. Designed with the very best technology and carefully thought out navigation, the site offers tools such as a zip code driven growing zone locator, quick order form and a simple to use search engine.

Smith & Hawkins is celebrating 30 years in business by having a 30% off any item just by using code WEBP288 at checkout. Limited time offer so hurry.

Gardens Alive! Environmentally Friendly Products that Work. Gardens Alive is the premier supplier of environmentally friendly products for the home, lawn, garden and orchard.

Visit our blog for the latest updates to our web site. We have added many more pages this month.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Julia and Alfred