As the winter months progress I tend to feel less connected to the wonderful outdoor spaces that reach out to me like an old friend during the spring and summer months. Trapped inside all day as the cold wind blows, I yearn for the feel of fresh dirt in my hands and find myself counting the days until I once again have the pleasure of planting new flowers in my garden and tending to the perennials and bulbs that start peeking out in the spring.

Other gardeners have told me that they've been able to find enjoyment tending indoor plants during the winter months. I'll admit that I do keep African Violets and Orchids indoors year-round, but growing indoors is a lot more challenging! Indoor plants, like all plants require the correct amount of light and proper watering and finding this balance indoors has been tricky for me.

I've thought about buying grow lights and setting up a small system, but frankly I haven't had the time to do the research or the testing required for different plants. Also, the space needed for an indoor growing system, is more than I can spare in my small house. My friend Lee purchased an AeroGarden from AeroGrow, at their website http://www.aerogardening.com, which is a complete indoor garden. She kept raving about how fun and easy it was to grow herbs in her AeroGarden. So I ordered one and was equally impressed! I love that everything grows so easily, but I also love that I can put my African Violets next to my AeroGarden and they love the light it throws off and have bloomed like crazy!

It's February and I'm starting to think about what to plant in my summer garden and guess what, my next test is the AeroGarden Starter Tray. I can start up to 66 seedlings indoors in my AeroGarden with no dirt and no mess, then easily transplant them into my outdoor garden when the weather allows.

I'll let you know how that goes come May.