Dreaming of sunny skies and warm days in the garden? Come to the Buffalo Inn in South Park for a free gardening seminar at 7 p.m. Feb. 24.

Denise Schreiber, greenhouse manager for Allegheny County Parks and Mrs. Know It All on "The Organic Gardeners" show on KDKA Radio, will speak. Phipps master gardener Dr. Robert Liss will show you how to get your garden ready for spring without hurting your back. Penn State master gardeners will also be on hand.

No registration is needed. Please bring a notepad and something to drink. Sponsored by Allegheny County Parks.

Driving directions are available on the Internet at www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/maps

Workshops on backyard and worm composting, rain barrels and other Earth-friendly topics will be held every second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the CCI Center, 64 S. 14th St., South Side. Cost varies depending on the topic.

"Health and the Environment" is the subject of next Wednesday's seminar ($20) and how to create a rain barrel on March 10 ($30).

Members of Pennsylvania Resources Council receive a $5 discount on all classes. For more information or to register, visit www.prc.org or call Sarah Alessio at 412-488-7490, ext. 236.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.