To test last years garden seeds for viability, wrap 10 – 20 seeds in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag for 10 days. If less than half the seeds germinate, buy fresh seeds for this coming garden season.

For your indoor plants, now would be a good time to divide and re-pot any root-bound house plants, and clean dusty leaves with a moist paper towel. Check under the leaves for spider mites or powdery mildew.

Before sowing seeds indoors, thoroughly wet the potting soil mix with warm water first. Watering dry soil mix after sowing the seeds may disturb the way you placed the seeds.

Save crushed aluminum cans to use instead of heavy drainage stones in large planters and pots. They work well, and allow for quick drainage of water without adding extra weight to the soil.

Outdoors: Apply additional mulch to herb and…