During the quiet days of winter, imagining what spring will bring can be a worthwhile endeavor.

Gardeners can optimize their downtime this month by perusing the wealth of seed catalogs available online and by mail—offering plenty of inspiration for the spring garden.

Gardeners can find a wide variety of vegetable, herb and flower seeds in catalogs often delivered to mailboxes throughout the winter. Most modern seed catalogs also can be found through a simple web search or viewed online.

Visit The Old Farmers’ Almanac website for a list of 40-plus free garden seed catalogs and places to buy seeds and plants online.

After you’ve found your seeds, start planning your spring plantings. The Old Farmer’s Almanac planting calendar offers recommended planting dates for vegetables, fruit and herbs in your area based on your ZIP or postal code.

The Virginia Department of Forestry urges everyone to avoid introducing new invasive plants and always plant native species. Visit the DOF website for resources on invasive species that threaten Virginia’s forests and landscapes, including tools to help identify and combat these species.