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For some of us the gardening season should be started already. That's if you are one of those people who prides himself with starting his own plants. If you are content to save money and get your start at a local greenhouse, your winter snooze can continue a bit longer.

If you are starting seeds, probably the most difficult part of getting ready is to know when to plant the seeds. Today I will target two critical issues with many common plants. That's seed size and the length of time from seed until you can hope to have a garden ready plant.

Here is a short list:

• PlantSeed SizeWeeks to Grow
• Astersmedium8
• Celoseasmall6
>
• Cosmoslarge6
• Dianthussmall10-12
• Impatienssmall10-12
• Marigoldslarge6-8
• Petuniastiny10
• Snapdragonssmall10-12
• Zinnialarge5-6
• Sunflowerlarge4-6
• Tomatomedium6-8
• Peppermedium6-8
• Cabbagemedium4-6
• Cucumberslarge3-4
• Squashlarge3-4
• Herbssmall6-8

If you don't see a plant you are about to try, the same information is often on the seed pack or in the catalog. Or give me a call and I will let you talk to my wife.

Seed starting requires a fine soil mix kept moist but not wet, bottom heat and light management. A warm window works but lights may be easier to use. Sanitation is the key. Soak your pots in a Clorox solution if necessary.Seed size determines how deeply to plant the seeds. The small ones work when just laid on the top of the soil. Try to avoid clumps. The smaller the seed, the harder to spread evenly. The large ones get covered according to their size.

Some seeds, like cabbage, will be up in a matter of days. Others, like petunias, may take up to two weeks.If you wish, try it. Have fun and good luck. Some greenhouse will still see you in the spring.

Each year there are a zillion or at least a large fraction of a zillion, new ornamental plants introduced. Some of them gain a respectable run in our gardens while others quickly fade from notice.

This year there is one that has really caught my attention. It is a new novelty impatient. It's called Jungle Gold and is perhaps the closest anyone has yet to come to introducing a full size yellow impatien.

The word novelty is used in horticulture to indicate that this is a single item plant and not part of a series. Many of us recognize the wave petunias. They are part a series, thus not novelty plants.

Jungle Gold is a big one, which appears more like its ancestors from Central America where impatiens grow in the wild. It needs a lot of shade for the best flowering effect.

It has made every top 100 lists of new introductions that I have seen and picked up some awards in Europe.

My interest is higher because I know that it was developed by a Solanco native. She left Pennsylvania about 10 years ago after singing. tooting, acting and academicing her way through Solanco High School.

Her first stop was a challenging, small rural college in Minnesota. At first she struggled but quickly figured out her place as a plant person in a biology department dominated by pre-medical students. She also spent four wonderful years of escaping stress by working in the school's 800-acre arboretum.

After graduation she followed her, soon to be husband, to Chicago where she took an internship at the Chicago Botonic Garden before gaining a stint as an assistant plant breeder at Ball Horticultural.

It was there that she developed Jungle Gold and two members of a new Fusion series of impatiens called Heat and Infra-red. They will be released in 2005.

When her husband finished medical school they both found opportunities at the University of Florida. In Florida she spent four years working with petunias.

As I write this on the Friday before publication she is within minutes of defending her thesis. I may never learn to call my daughter Dr. Kristin but it does make a papa proud.

Winter, winter go away. I'm mad at the groundhog. Especially for seeing his shadow. I hate winter more and more as I get older.

But, my daughter who has been in Florida for the last four years says the thing she misses most is the change of seasons. She wants some hills, too.

And my fuel oil dealer who was glum in December but smiling now says that the critical degree-days (how much heat you need) is about the same for this winter as it was for last.

And the weather guy on TV just reminded me that we just had the first anniversary of the second largest snowstorm in our history a few days ago. He says we've had 16 inches less snow this year than last.

Before I celebrate, I will note that I observed temperatures as low as negative four on my north-facing porch. That's lower than anything since about 1994, I think. That may challenge some of the plants that crept north into popularity in our zone 6 because of success in warmer winters. We'll see.

It may also put to the test any permanent planters that have been left unprotected outside. One trend that I am hearing is to use more perennials and small evergreens in containers to eliminate the job of annual reconstruction. Many of the evergreens are real tough but I question the hardiness of many traditional perennials in an unprotected pot outside.

Before I forget that I was complaining, there is the ice. Most of mine seem to be where I walked, drove, or tried to move snow. My landscape plantings seem just to have received a persistent cover of snow. That good insulation may make this an easy winter in the garden.

While on the subject of ice, let me remind you that the only plant safe deicing agents are sand and kitty litter. I know most of us don't follow that program but if we get excessive we can expect problems.

If you live along a well-traveled and well-salted road you may see some problems in plantings close to the road. Needle burn is common on evergreens slowly being tortured by salt exposure.I have seen lists of salt tolerant plants, which should be consulted if you are planting near a frequently salted busy road. Also, when planting near roads think about right of ways, visibility and the crews that maintain them.

Another decision that is often made early is about acquiring and using mushroom soil in the garden. Mushrooms grow in a state of high fertility. That level of fertility can damage and/or kill plants unless the soil has been aged. By aged I mean left lay unprotected outside in the elements for at least six months.

Aged mushroom soil is the equivalent to the best compost. If you have any question, a tomato plant is a great indicator. If it doesn't die in four or five days you are fine.

Yes, it's still winter. Yes, it's still cold. But it's been temperature consistent and not one that fluctuates wildly. Moisture has been adequate but not excessive. Our plants should like that.The days are getting longer. The sun is getting warmer. We gardeners have hope.

We are approaching the end of the sixth season where I have tried to mix writing and gardening. Sometimes it feels that I am repeating myself but I keep hearing the same questions. So here comes another edition of late fall suggestions.

In the lawn leaves and grass do not mix. If you want nice grass get rid of the leaves. I saved that one until I could hear the wind whistling wildly outside. The final mowing should be as short as possible. Tall grass is an invitation for diseases, especially in a very wet year like this one.

I have been complaining about the nasty weeds that seem to be taking over from the grass in my field turned lawn. Several weeks ago I looked at a spray label for a lawn weed killer. I was surprised to see similar chemistry to that which I used while I grew strawberries commercially for 27 years.

Then we took out clover, dandelions and several of their friends with an after Thanksgiving application. You guessed it. I now have half a yard full of unhappy weeds. The other half is warned.

Haven't seen anybody suggest spraying now but it works and you can't hurt your actively growing flowers because the annuals are frozen, the perennials are going dormant and the shrubs are losing their leaves.

Before you spray, always read the label and ask your supplier for recommendations.

What about clean up in the flowerbeds? It's your garden and you must look at what is left. Do what you must, but I can think of a lot of reasons to stay away from your perennials until the first warm days of spring.

If you have a few fruit trees this is not the time to think about pruning. Sure apples, pears, blueberries and grapes can be pruned at the start of winter but I would rather wait until late February or March. The commercial recommendation for stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums is to be half done by the time they bloom. That's easy if you have only a tree or two.

Short needled evergreens can be pruned in late winter. Long needled ones should not be pruned until the rapid spring growth ends in late June or July.

Spring blooming shrubs should be pruned immediately after bloom. Fall blooming shrubs should be pruned in the spring. For spring pruning I wait until new growth begins so I can remove any winter killed branches.Prune ornamental grasses in the spring. Why destroy their fall and winter display now? Get the chainsaw sharp for that mission.

If you have planted anything in the last month or so it is a good practice to let the ground freeze and then mulch those plants lightly. This stabilizes the soil temperature fluctuations and will reduce heaving. That gives you one more possibility to succeed.

There isn't much to say about fall hydration this year. We've had plenty of rain. Most plants like to enter the dormant season well watered and then spend their winter rather dry.

If you think I like to procrastinate about work I won't argue, but timelines is one of the keys to a great garden. Winter is just as long as each of our three gardening seasons so there is no reason we can't pause a bit with our activities now.

With the threat of plunging temperatures I made another trip to the vegetable garden. Mine is down to one head of cauliflower, three heads of cabbage, broccoli side shots, some laggard Brussels sprouts and my fall planting of peas.

One thing I noticed was the lack of insects, especially the aphids I expected to find on the Brussels sprouts. That adds a lot of credulance to the old idea that a heavy rain is one of the best insecticides. I was also surprised at the lack of disease on the cauliflower for which I have no explanation except sanitation and crop rotation. More on that in a few sentences.

The peas, as my wife says, were planted too late. I've eaten a few pods raw and we will get a few for a meal or so. In the spring I figure at least 60 days, so what more can I expect from seeds that found the ground on September 1? I'm afraid that without the extended Indian summer my wife would have been right. Also, after the first light frost my resident rabbits mowed the tops off of them.

Wait to next year. I'll get them planted in early August.Not straying too far from today's topic, I was quizzed several days ago about a patch of strawberries. They did well the first several years but recently seem to be in decline. What could be the problem?

A quick cultural review identified several possible problems. Any planting of strawberries can be expected to last anywhere from two to four picking seasons. Usually weeds and occasionally disease are the determining factor.

One needs to rotate the crop. Do not follow strawberries with strawberries. That is true with any crop be it vegetables, flowers or even fruit trees. A given plant brings certain diseases to and places certain nutritional demands on the soil. Unfortunately, the best tasting strawberry varieties have the most disease problems.

Use of fertilizer is also important. Most of our garden plants are not heavy feeders. Do not over feed. Fertilizer also has an impact on soil pH. Know what effect the fertilizer you are using will have on the soil over time. For example, the azaleas and the general garden need different fertilizers.

Several weeks ago my wife did a thorough cleaning of the garden, removing the residue left by the first killing frost. Sanitation like that is very important if you wish to garden with no or minimal chemicals. A winter cover crop also helps but I seldom get there.

With strawberries, it is best to mow and thin the plants immediately after harvest. This eliminates diseased foliage and exposes the plant to more sunlight. This is also the best, and really the only time, one should fertilize strawberries.

Another thought on strawberry crop in 2003 is the fact that the buds for the crop set at the end of the previous summer. I'm sure with the drought the strawberry plants weren't too happy in August and early September in 2002, thus less production in 2003.

It's about over, but my taste buds have enjoyed the efforts (mostly my wife's) in the vegetable garden. I'm not anxious for winter but you can't have next year without it.