Spring Fever

I went to the mailbox this morning and found two seed catalogs waiting for me! One was from my favorite seed company, Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply. They offer great choices of organic seeds, plants, trees, and garden supplies at great prices. It’s time to start planning my spring garden. I can’t wait to sit and peruse my catalogs. Before I order, though, I should take inventory and see what seeds I still have. While the germination rate may be slightly lower, the ones I bought last year should still be viable.

Last year I decided to try gardening in raised beds instead of traditional rows so I could garden more efficiently (less soil preparation, less water wasted, less weeding). I bought a pallet of cinder blocks and made two beds (ok, my husband did most of the work). He then filled them with rich soil and composted chicken litter. We staked a cattle panel in the middle of each row. I let cucumbers climb up one panel and tied tomatoes to the other. My husband added gutters to my greenhouse to drain into two “water towers.” On the bottom of each water tower is a faucet to which I can attach a hose, enabling me to water my plants with collected rain water.

I start all my plants from seeds except onions and potatoes. I like to use companion plants, so I drew and re-drew my garden plans, moving this and that until I had everything arranged to my satisfaction. I started my seeds and transplanted my little babies. However, since I was in my last trimester, I was too big and too tired to give my plants as much attention as they needed. After Jesse was born in May, I was too busy with my newborn to try and salvage my poor garden. Fortunately, one of the joys of gardening is you can start over. So here I go again!