Compost Tea. I am determined to make compost tea this season. A simple (?) method appears on Doug Green's Simple Gifts website http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/compost-tea.html . Other websites also offer "how to" articles for making compost tea including HGTV http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_soil_water_mulch/article/0,,HGTV_3634_1369956,00.html and PA Dept. of Environmental Protection https://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/Tea/tea1.htm .

I'll try to keep this blog up to date with my success or failure (never say failure. Change that to progress or delay.)

Any hints or tricks to making this happen would be most welcomed!

Poinsettia. The poinsettia from Christmas 2005 has colored. I didn't do much to it in 2006 - I put it out side in a shady spot, watered & fed it a bit and mostly ignored it. I usually do a little trim, but I couldn't make a decision whether to trim when I put it out in spring or when I brought it in last fall. Soooooo, I did nothing. Sometimes, the lazy gardener takes over.

The new poinsettia from this past Christmas has expired - frostbitten in it's travels I'm sure. I still have it in the house. I guess I'm hoping for some kind of resurrection. The perennials & shrubs out in the garden usually have to be dead about a year before I remove them - hope springs eternal.

January Gardener. I spent the last few weeks of unseasonably warm weather doing a little more clean up in the garden while trying to keep my big feet out of the soft dirt. I did a lot of work reaching out from garden paths. It's delightful to be outside in January.

The mild weather has delayed cabin fever and put me in a much better mood than most January's. But, it's a cruel trick on plants and shrubs. I'm not looking forward to the plant damage that may happen if it doesn't get cold soon.

During the long, dark evenings I found some new (to me) garden blogs.

Garden Rant, http://www.gardenrant.com , is written by 4 women - expert gardeners and excellent writers. Susan Harris, Elizabeth Licata, Michele Owens and Amy Stewart aproach gardening with a sense of humor. Each one of the Ranters also has her own blog apart from Garden Rant - Gardening While Intoxicated and Dirt are two of them. Gives you an idea what I mean by sense of humor. The October 18 blog by Amy "Gardening Hurts" and the comments that follow is a gleeful compilation of garden mishaps (hottest posts award).

Another blog http://www.robsplants.com is written by a Lehigh Valley Gardener. This blog is full of plant information, how-to articles, links and local information. Click on "garden" to find an interactive map of his home garden. It's enough to make a garden blogger green with envy.

Of course, I still tune in to http://douggreensgarden.com . Doug is lives in Canada but includes information for gardeners everywhere. His blog, as well as his web site, http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com , is full of garden articles and e-books. Doug is a prolific writer (and gardener). Both sites are searchable. He answers questions in his free newsletter. Sign up for lots and lots of garden information. Doug also runs garden photo contests.

PSU Master Gardners http://blogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/ in The Morning Call http://www.mcall.com is a great blog. Recent blogs include Thank Heaven for Hellebores, Don't Trash Your Christmas Tree, Pine Cones and "Bugs" On Your Real Christmas Tree. This blog includes links to educational sites.

All of these bloggers write with a sense of humor. I've found that garden work is easier with a sense of humor (and a can of beer?).

• The philosopher who said that work well done never needs doing over never weeded a garden.- Ray D. Everson