Trying to figure out how to start your garden this year and when? SWoCo spoke with Barbara Leach, the horticulture technician with Roanoke County's Cooperative Extension Agent.

Here are some tips from her.

What you can do now

Planting -- sowing seeds was able to start around St. Patrick's Day.

You need a full sun window.

You may need some supplemental lighting. Plants need lighting about 14 to 16 hours a day but you don't want to leave the lights on 24 hours a day.

When seeds come up your goal is to run them as cool and dry as you can without wilting them because they will grow more slowly. if you give them a lot of water and light they will become small and scrawny and won't be good quality seedlings.

Tips for Seedlings

Many people discover they don't have the right equipment for good seedlings, so we recommend to get seeds from somewhere, instead of creating your own.

Fertilize frequently with half-strength fertilizer.

Once they have size, set them out in shade during the day, and very gradually move them into sun. They will sunburn, so every day, give a few more minutes of sun bring and bring them in at night when it gets cool.

For cool season crops, you can plant it outside but be sure to cover it in case of a freeze. Most cool season crops won't go out into the garden until after May 10.

In preparation for garden soil, anything organic that can be worked into the soil like, manures that are well rotted and leaves will help considerably for water holding capacity in the summer. The reason plants don't do well in heavy clay is because they don't drain properly and receive oxygen. They need good loose soil.

Figure out how to keep your garden watered. Cover it with mulch or straw to hold moisture in. Sprinklers are last resort because so much of the water evaporates before it is used and encourages disease.

Flat soaker hoses have traditionally been made of reconstituted rubber, but some nylon flat hoses would be much easier to wind around the plant.

How to make a compost bin

A compost bin can be made out of a number of materials, including just a heap on the ground.

The ideal size should be 3 by 3 or one cubic yard for it to compost well.

Start by putting very coarse twigs in a pile to allow air to come up through the bottom.

Then start piling items on. It's not that structured. You can put on what you have when you have it. You want to keep it moist, but not over moist and you should keep it turned for oxygen. Try to make it a combination of green things like vegetables shavings that haven't had chemicals on them and then use grass clippings that are uncontaminated and leaves off plants you've cut back. You need those because they will provide nitrogen to keep things moving.

The smaller the pieces are when they go in, the quicker.

Some people use a grinder. It's all about your budget and how long you want to wait.

In the later part of summer, it is important to keep the yellow jackets out of it.

You can use egg shells during winter, spring, and late fall, but it is not recommended during the summer because it attracts skunks and yellow jackets.

Do not use meats.

Where to plant

Choose full sun and good drainage area and if property is on a slope, not at the bottom because all the cold air will settle. Part way down a slope is nice because that is where the water drains.

The best place is on the terrace or where it's fairly level.

Rotate crops best you can each year. Insect and disesase carry over if you plant it in the same spot every year.

What crops to plant

Virginia Tech has a publication that outlines which crops are best suited for our area.

While shopping look for things that say insect or disesase resistant.

Look for the AAS (All American Selections) label. The label has a red, white, and blue shield on the label. If the plant carries that lable it means it has gone through plant trials all over the country and will do well all over. They are also good for beginners to plant. That symbol will be on feed packets and plant labels.

Replants

Don't do replants until after May 10. Keep in them in the sun and don't let them dry out completely, but don't keep soaking wet either.

When you put them out put them in the same soil level as they were planted.

Most importantly, Leach says, "Just have fun with it. Gardening is not as simple as putting plants in the ground and walking away. If you can allow yourself time to work in the garden when it's cool it will be better."

If you have gardening questions, the Roanoke County Cooperative Extension Office has a help desk you can call at 776-7178. Roanoke County also has a walk-in clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday staffed by volunteers. They are located at 3738 Brambleton Ave. S.W. Brambleton Center, Room #7. Residents are encouraged to bring in samples to designate problems or ask questions like, when can I pick this, or is it ripe?

Troop poses for good health  and good sales ability

Thin Mints and downward dogs. Peanut Butter Patties and sun salutations. Girl Scout cookies and yoga poses don't usually go hand in hand, but for Junior Girl Scout Troop 176, a successful cookie sale of 1,508 boxes coincided with a yoga workshop as they worked to earn their "Highway To Health" badge this winter.

Led by Jill Loftis, owner of Uttara Yoga Studio, the Girl Scout yoga workshop was tailored to help the girls fulfill the health and fitness requirement of the "Highway To Health" badge. Other skills included practicing good sleeping habits and making good nutrition choices, but the girls said they enjoyed the yoga portion of the badge the most, particularly because they did it alongside their mothers.

Certified through Yoga Ed. to teach children in kindergarten through eighth grade, Loftis has young girls herself, and is aware of the pressures middle school girls face with juggling the responsibilities of school, family and friends.

The girls learned how to reduce stress and improve concentration in school through fun and gentle yoga poses. The scouts have continued to practice several poses learned in the workshop, including "the rock" for calming down and a "thinking pose" for concentrating during tests and quizzes. Courtney Martin and Hannah Ruth Shepard demonstrated a friendship pose that they created on their own, a delicate balancing partner pose.

Troop 176 (eleven sixth-graders from Hidden Valley and Cave Spring Middle Schools) has been involved with Girl Scouts for three years, and the girls plan to continue as a cohort next year when they move up to Cadets.

Having completed the "Highway To Health" badge, they are better equipped to take care of themselves and make healthy choices, perhaps even reaching for a "reduced fat Daisy Go Round" Girl Scout cookie for a snack after doing some yoga exercises.

Submitted by Kate Ericsson, a mother of two who practices yoga and enjoys Thin Mints.