Lighting away winter blues. (using artificial light indoors to maintain containerized plants and flowers from the garden during winter months)

Winter Solstice which occurs on December 21, marks the beginning of winter. It is considered the "shortest" day of the year because the Earth's Northern Hemisphere is titled at its widest angle from the sun. The period of daylight increases a little more each day thereafter until the summer solstice in June.

TThe additional minutes barely seem to make a dent in the long hours of darkness for gardeners yearning for spring. The solution is to re-create long hours of daylight indoors. With a little creativity, some tools, gardening supplies and an electrical outlet, you can make your own indoor greenhouse.

What you grow will be limited only by your imagination and the space you allocate. However, I advise starting small. There will be no spring showers to rescue your plants if you forget to water them or fertile soil to remedy missed fertilizer applications. Try saving some cuttings from your favorite garden plants and selecting some exotic flowers available only from seed. Once you've gained experience in gardening under lights, you'll find it ideal for growing many types of plants, from prize-winning African violets to spring bedding transplants.

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