Before digging in, gardeners need to know the essentials

(ARA) - For many long, cold months, the avid gardener sits inside the house, eagerly thumbing through seed, plant and gardening catalogs. At last, spring is in sight. But before turning the first spade-full of dirt, it's time to gather your gardening friends: those tools that save you time, defend your garden from pests and generally make your hobby a delight.

Gardening Web sites are full of advice for getting a jump-start on the spring garden of your dreams. It's easy to find gardening experts who advocate choosing tools that make the experience more relaxing, enjoyable and bountiful. Here are some tools and tips to help you do just that this spring:

Start Early - Even if there's frost on the ground outdoors, you can start your garden early by growing seedlings. Nurtured in a warm indoor environment, these delicate stems will make your work quicker come spring. Plus, growing your own seedlings will save you cash at the garden shop and enhance your satisfaction with your gardening efforts.
Propagation mats are a great way to get seedlings started indoors. Look for products, like GroForIt's Gro-Mat, that provide heat and durability. A small Gro-Mat can hold up to one flat of seedlings, while the larger version can host three flats. Both sizes provide the heat and crucial air flow young seedlings need to grow and thrive.
Defend territory - Once your seedlings are in the ground outdoors, you'll want to keep unwanted animal and insect visitors from munching on them. As deer populations continue to grow and thrive in urban areas, deer are among the worst offenders when it comes to garden damage.
Harsh chemicals and fencing aren't always practical or even desirable. A better alternative is to drive deer away using ultrasonic technology, like Bird-X's DeerGard.
A professional grade product made for home use, DeerGard is an ultrasonic device with a built-in infrared motion sensor that activates the unit only when deer move into its coverage zone. The frequency is adjustable and the unit is weatherproof. It operates on batteries or AC power.
Battle birds - After deer, birds are top damagers of home gardens. Crows are notorious seed stealers, and can pick a garden clean of seed in an afternoon. As with deer, sound is one of the most effective, environmentally responsible ways to keep birds out of your garden. The BirdXPeller PRO disquiets birds by producing real distress calls and predator cries. You can set the unit for a specific species and to vary the intermittency and duration of the calls.
The important thing, advises Mona Zemsky, an expert in controlling common garden pests, is to remember non-lethal methods are more effective and environmentally responsible than lethal ones. "Killing birds or deer to keep them away from your garden won't solve the problem," she says. "New deer or birds will simply move in to fill the void left by the dead ones. The key is to convince the animals that your garden is no longer a desirable place to live and dine."