Strosniders - If they don't have it, you don't need it.

I love Strosniders hardware store in downtown Bethesda.  I used to think that I had to drive to Home Depot to get what I needed for projects, from gardening to painting.  But over time I realized that Strosniders has everything Home Depot has at a comparable price.  Plus they have all kinds of things for the kitchen -- including a large number of  kitchen gadgets.   And the people who work there are truly knowledgeable and helpful.  Need to install a light?  Someone will talk you through it.  Not sure what kind of screw you need?  Tell them what you doing and they will give you guidance.  Oh, and they rent tools!!  From drills to ladders.  This has to be my favorite store of all times.

www.strosniders.com.

BCC - time to get those seeds started.

With the last frost in the BCC area being between the middle and end of April, depending on how you ask, we are in the red zone for seed starting. I have alreay started 3 types of tomatoes, 1 pepper, several flowers, fennel, basil and parsley indoors under grow lights. I will be planting carrots, lettuce and sugar snap peas this weekend.

My indoor planting set-up is rather simple. I purchased a shop light from Strosniders, hung the light from beams in my basement near my furnace and water heater (seed like it warm) and put "grow lights" bulbs in the lamp. The most expensive thing were the light blubs at $25 a piece. The lamp itself only cost about $20.

I plan on transporting most of the inside plants to the garden in early May. With the tomatoes and peppers hitting the soil in mid-May.