Now that the sun is peaking it's little head out from behind the clouds, and the temperature is slowly rising, garden fever is quickly approaching in the northern hemisphere.  Now, I know it's way too early to actually start planting, but right now is the best time to start planning.

Growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs is not only a fun hobby, it is a great eco-friendly activity.  If your garden yields enough produce to get a few meals out of, at the very least, that's less that you have to buy at your local grocery that has been shipped from somewhere else.  It can give you a sense of accomplishment, too. Gardening is also a great way to teach children about giving to the Earth and having it give us something in return.

Here are a few thing to consider when planning for this year's garden:

1. Where are you going to put it?  If you have an area outside, then measure out the size of the plot that is available to you.  Once you know the size of space you have, you can better estimate what to plant, and how much of it.  If you don't have a space outside, then think about pots that can be put on a porch or windowsill.  These are great for small fruits like strawberries, or herbs.

2. What will grow in your soil?  You can try and grow jalapenos in Northern Idaho and you just may get something for your efforts, but your best bet is to figure out what grows best in the soil that you have at hand.  Do some research and figure out what the best crops in the area are, and plant that.  I found out that our soil is particularly good for Walla-Walla onions, Yukon gold potatoes, and sugar snap peas after planting some of each and having my garden just explode.

3. What do you need to start?  There are some vegetables, fruits and herbs that you can plant with seeds.  There are others, though, that require a "start" of some kind.  To plant potatoes, you need to let a potato of the variety that you want to  plant dry out and start to grow eyes. Then, cut the potato into sections (about 4-8), and then let those new cuts dry.  That is what you'll plant.  Getting prepared by having seeds or starts will save you time when you're actually ready to plant.

4. How can you do this organically?  There are a lot of seed and start growers out there now that offer organic options.  These are your best bet if you want your garden at home to be organic.  Also, start with your own soil and compost mix instead of buying it from elsewhere that may have loaded it down with chemicals.  Figure out what plant foods are chemical free and safe for your food.

Regardless of if you've got a whole acre of land to garden on, or a plot in your backyard that's 3 feet by 5 feet, or just a few pots in your window, gardening is something that is available to everyone.  If you absolutely cannot garden where you live, check into community gardens.  You can pay a small fee for an area of land and plant whatever you want, and then share what you grow with others.  No matter how you do it, gardening organically is a great green hobby to start.