Spring has sprung!
It’s officially Spring! What a difference a week makes. Last weekend it snowed and was pretty miserable outside. Today, however, I woke up to sunshine and birds singing their hearts out. I just love Spring! I love watching everything re-awaken after their winter slumber.
Now that the snow is almost gone from my yard I can see bits of green starting to sprout up from the brown already. Colour is coming back to my landscape and it fills me with excitement. It also reminds me that I have two large grocery bags full of various vegetable and flower seeds that wait for my attention.
This year will be my first attempt at a “vegetable” garden. I have always loved the idea of growing a “tossed salad” right in my own back yard, but have never tried it before. I didn’t get into gardening until I moved to 100 Mile House in my mid thirties and then only experimented with flowers. The growing season is short in that area and the effort for vegetables didn’t seem worthwhile.
Now I am in the Okanagan region of BC where fruit grows on trees or vines everywhere you look, Spring starts early (usually) and winter comes later than most of the province. It’s perfect for growing vegetables!
I have a stack of books on the subject, graph paper to sketch my plan onto and of course the seed packet instructions to read. I suspect there are some seeds that I should start inside, like last week, but this is the weekend I begin!
I’ll update now and again on the progress of my humble garden patch. I love advice and direction when I’m starting something new so please don’t be shy if you have any for me. Before long I may be able to offer you a “Tenderlong” carrot, some “Pioneer” shell peas and a bed of “Buttercrunch” lettuce! Don’t worry, I’m not growing any zucchini!
6 Comments
jacquie
Just plant one zucchini for me! It grows so beautifully and will make your garden look lush. What about herbs? Tuck in some Basil and Sage amongst the plants and they keep away certain bugs naturally. I’ll google and find out which ones work best. I’m excited for you! I want regular photographic updates, please.
Tracy Westerholm
Spring ! My favorite season ! Fresh air, flowers,great running weather…and riding season !!
Ava gardener
Yes, plant zucchini where you might want some ground cover as the spreading leaves are excellent for that and you can EAT the bright yellow flowers after adding them for a spectacular topping for a salad!
bonnie
Good idea about the herbs Jacquie! I think I will plant one zucchini plant…and I’ll call it “Jacquie’s Zucchini”.
jacquie
I just heard about Michelle Obama and the organic garden she’s planting on the grounds of the White House. It’s a step towards raising awareness of healthy eating and taking financial responsibility for some of your food choices in these tough economic times. What a terrific role model she is!
Mary Dale
Sorry to respond so late but I’m behind in my reading (and I do read *all* the posts) – zucchini is not my favourite vegetable but we plant them anyway because they are pretty fail safe (if nothing else grows, you’ll at least get a zucchini), and also, we make this wonderful zucchini manicotti with our home-grown zucchini that is delicious and even the kids like it.