Home ownership has recently presented me with many challenges, not the least of which is the daunting yard out back. This being my first home, I haven't had an actual "yard" since I moved out on my own and while I loved my parents' garden, I had very little experience in the actual "gardening" of it.

To make matters worse, my backyard currently boasts no landscaping whatsoever, which means I will be absolutely starting from scratch. Thus, as winter inches towards spring, I've found myself flipping through books and magazines in hopes of finding a perfect resource. And it seems my salvation just might have come from a poster I came across in the bathroom at Tequila Bookworm on the weekend.

The poster was promoting the book "You Grow Girl" by Gayla Trail. Trail is a Torontonian who decided to do something with her love of plants and launched a do-it-yourself city gardening site in February 2000. My curiousity was piqued, so I decided to check it out when I got home.

This site is well worth a look for anyone who is trying to navigate their way through the complexities of gardening in the urban world. Everything is there - tips for those just starting out, a glossary to keep the terms straight, articles on everything from herb planting to the solstices, and a forum where avid gardeners and beginners from around the world can share their stories and advice.

Thanks to yougrowgirl.com, I am now more psyched than ever to get my hands dirty come spring. I'll be on the lookout for the book. And who knows...gardening might just become my newest obsession.