What’s a gal to do when it’s nearing the end of April and there are eight (8!) heavy, wet, clinging to everything inches of new snow in these parts? Lots of chocolate and a hot, steamy beverage come to mind. Or maybe a glass of something a bit stronger, but given my present condition, my best Mama judgment says nope.
Maybe just curl up under a heavy blanket and thumb through the seed catalogs and pine for warmer days…? Because spring will come and summer will come. Please? Last year this time, we already had sprouted plenty of tomato plants inside and I had already transplanted them into larger pots. Yes, it was unseasonably warm and sunny, but still. It kinda hurts to look back on that time given our present wintery mix. Sigh.
With hopefulness overshadowing the winter blues mixed with a heavy dose of retail therapy, I just placed my orders!
I decided this year that I will get some tomato, basil and broccoli starts from a local farmer instead of starting them from seed given the calendar and the weather. And use up what’s left of our seeds from last year. Sugar snap peas, anyone? Maybe we’ll plant those this weekend and it will be our new Easter tradition. Nothing quite like having a little dirt under the fingernails while chomping a chocolate bunny’s head off, I always say.
So what does a little seedy retail therapy look like?
- strawberry plants
- asparagus crowns
- bells of ireland
- dill
- parsley
- radish
- mixed lettuce
- spinach
- kale
- carrots
- delicata squash
- french fingerling potato plants
- honey ace melon
- jade beans
- fennel
- cucumbers
- beets
- tigger melon
- zucchini
- mache
- peas
ash,
we ordered a heap o’ seeds from a wonderful heirloom-only company. we also ordered tigger melons, so i wonder if you used the same folks. 🙂
we’ve got lettuce, beets, sugar snaps, purple beans, and bok choy in the ground. did some red bell pepper starts inside last week. i’ll do spinach and kale in the fall this year, and have carrots, and tons of summer/winter squash and melons yet to plant. i think getting starts from local folks for certain items is very smart, regardless of the weather. starting certain things from seed can require more finesse than i have, for sure. grow on, walter family! 😛
Ooh, lovely! Were the tigger melons from Territorial? I just could not resist!
Hi Ash! Sorry to hear about your weather! My radishes and snap peas have sprouted. The lettuce and arugula hasn’t yet…maybe some urban wildlife has been snacking on the tender shoots? When it gets warmer, we’re going to plant squash and get some tomato starts. The nature center in our town sells native plants in May, so I also plan on picking up some ‘local color’ for the front yard. They’re ecologically sound and low-maintenance. Can’t best that!
Yeah for sprouts – that surely is hope embodied! Damn critters…