Got gardening questions for Dee Dee Bowman, master gardener?

From the term "locavore" to the invention of the 100 mile diet, the idea of eating locally has really started getting more notice over the last few years.  But what about growing your own?  You can't get more local than that!  Unfortunately, it's not always easy to grow your own food.

This week, we're collecting questions for Daria "Dee Dee" Price Bowman, co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Vegetable Gardening.

With spring just around the corner, what questions do you have for this master gardener?

Things to remember:

• Make sure to submit only 1 question per post (but feel free to ask as many questions as you like)
• Check back to vote on the questions you'd most like to have answered by Dee Dee (use the Thumb Up button to vote)

We'll send the best questions over to Dee Dee and post her answers ASAP.

Check out the Interview Guidelines for a bit more help if you need it. Good luck - may the best questions win!

I live in a mediterranean climate and have a home garden.  So what can i plant this spring and expect to have ready by this summer?

What are your recommendations for urban gardening?  Do you have any tips for using window planters?

I don't have any outdoor space.  Are there any vegetables or herbs you can successfully grow indoors?

What are the best sources for high quality seeds and plants?

For example I've had 'heirloom tomatoes' at a couple of restaurants here in San Francisco that were incredible.  They were head and shoulders better than any others I've had, home grown or not.  Do many other vegatables also have much better tasting varieties/breeds/strains (whatever you should call them)?  Are the better tasting types typically a lot more difficult to raise?

What techniques, etc. do you recommend for keeping bugs and snails from getting to your vegetables before you do?

Do you know of any tricks or methods for getting rid of bermuda grass?

Do you have any tips for growing plants from seed?

What would your recommend for a novice gardener's vegetable garden?

How do you keep your soil in healthy condition?  Do you recommend using fertilizer or compost?

What's your favorite vegetable to grow?

Where can you get some trustworthy organic seeds that you can't find at an organic market? 

What are some of your favorite edible flowers for cooking and landscaping? 

Thanks for all your great questions.  This thread is now closed.

But don't be sad!  Check out Dee Dee's fantastic answers here.