After the frosty start we had to the week, it is nice to see that the weather is improving and warmer days are in the forecast for the next week or so.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't still stay diligent and watch nighttime temperatures in case of another cold snap. But for right now the conditions look favorable for planting those gardens and flower beds.

Like last year we are seeing a great uptick in people planting vegetable gardens or enlarging the gardens that they had last year. And these days having a garden doesn't always mean a huge tilled patch of ground in the backyard. The advances in hydroponics means you can raise 30 heads of lettuce in just two square feet right on your patio or deck, no backyard garden needed.

Hydroponic tower gardens work great for many vegetables and for herbs as well. Multi-layer horizontal hydroponic gardens work well for most vegetables including your vining crops like squash, zucchini and cucumbers. But, if you are thinking hydroponic gardening is a new concept, consider the ancient civilization of Babylon, circa 600 B.C., with their beautiful hanging gardens, most of which were grown hydroponically.

So what was once old is new again. Another way to garden if backyard space is an issue is straw bale gardening. There has been so much interest in straw bale gardening lately, that we are going to set up a sample straw bale garden at the store so that we can show customers just how easy it is to garden, even on an asphalt driveway. Now that the weather has warmed up, we can really start getting the gardens going. We are ready, are you?