DO IT NOW

As soon as your garden soil is dry enough to be worked, go ahead and plant cool-season veggies such as peas, radishes, leaf lettuces and onions. Hold off until early May to plant carrots, beets, spinach, cabbage, broccoli and kale. And don't even think of planting tomatoes until late May or early June.

NEXT WEEK

We wrap up our Beautiful Garden series with a visit to the Prior Lake garden of LeRoy and Jane Horn, who love collecting contemporary sculpture and hate mowing the lawn. Their solution: a series of sculpture gardens in their own back yard.

And then it's your turn: We'll announce the start of the contest for 2009.

HOT TICKET

Suffuse your senses with two free exhibits by graduating design students:

• "Our Deal: Graduates Ready to Stimulate" displays the grads' best work at the University of Minnesota's College of Design. It starts Saturday at the HGA Gallery in Rapson Hall, 89 SE. Church St. on the Minneapolis campus, and runs through May 16. Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 1-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.; more info at goldstein.design.umn.edu.

• "Exhale" opens April 30 at the College of Visual Arts gallery at 173 Western Av. in St. Paul, with pieces by 38 graduates. The exhibition runs through May 9. Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Wed. and Fri; noon to 8 p.m. Thu. and noon to 4 p.m. Sat. More info at cva.edu/gallery/gallery_shows_coming.htm.

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
P. Allen Smith window made by Marvin Windows to highlight the company's made-to-order window program

Interested in purchasing something you see? At CVA, check with the gallery attendant. At the U, check with the design college's student services department.

WE SPOTTED IT

Want to see what designers' fantasy windows look like? These two capture the vision of product designer Karim Rashid (see his version below) and gardener/TV host P. Allen Smith (his version is above). They, along with architect Susan Susanka, photographer Mark Laita and graphic designer Milton Glaser were asked by Marvin Windows to put their stylish stamps on windows in order to highlight the Warroad, Minn.-manufacturer's made-to-order window program. The last windows are still under construction; all five will be available for viewing later at www.mymarvin.com.

WEB WATCH

www.sierraclubgreen home.com

The Sierra Club's mission statement includes the practice and promotion of responsible uses of the Earth's ecosystems and resources. To that end, the group has launched its Green Home website to advise consumers on how to make their homes more energy-efficient, sustainable and healthy. Included: a home carbon calculator, another that can help calculate costs and benefits of solar technology, and step-by-step videos on energy-efficient appliances, sustainable remodeling, building and decorating, among others.

WINNERS CIRCLE

Kontextür is looking for 10 bathrooms "that have great design potential" but could use a jolt of color ... with the manufacturer's brightly colored acrylic shower curtain rings, pictured above. The New York-based home accessories maker has assembled a team of design journalists to judge (this scribe not included) the winners. Submit your photo and brief explanation of how your digs would benefit through May 1 at contest@kontextur.com. If you copy your entry to at least five others by e-mail, you'll get a 10 percent discount off your next online purchase. Details at www.kontextur.com/kcontest.html.

KIM YEAGER, CONNIE NELSON