Too early to plant? Grab a gardening book.

Are the best garden vegetables – the juiciest tomatoes, the spiciest peppers, the crunchiest cucumbers – the result of what happens in the warmth of summer? Many gardeners believe that the most productive gardens have their roots in winter. That’s when they think about helpful advice they’ve gotten from gardening friends and neighbors, and from garden books they’ve read when it’s too chilly to be working outdoors. 

No matter how long you’ve been gardening, there’s always much to learn from those who also like to dig in the soil. And this results in better gardens and easier gardening. For instance, did you know that honeybees don’t pollinate your tomatoes? A book explains that while honeybees (a European import) get all the press about vanishing pollinators, you need

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