*sigh*
Two weeks ago I was still glad it was winter food-wise. There are still soups, stews, and braises to be made, and I’m just not ready for grill food. Recently though, the produce has perked up a bit at the grocery stores around us, and that has me thinking longingly towards my garden. Just thinking about pulling up some fresh romaine for a Caesar salad has my mouth watering. Or reaching out and plucking a ripe, juicy tomato off the vine. This year there will be tomatoes. They will not fail again…
I’ve been flipping through the seed catalogs for months now, earmarking this or that, and dreaming of what I’d like to try. Books have been read on how to best maximize the small space I have. I’ve been reading through the few notes I have from last year as to what I planted, and deciding what to try this year that is new. And then I’m reading about companion planting, and learning that my cucumbers really don’t want to grow next to the dill.
And then there’s square foot gardening. Oh wow, this is a whole new idea! One of my beds is 3 feet by 10 feet- if I block that off into 1 foot sections, that’s 30 small plots of plant-able space. That’s a far larger variety of produce than dividing my space into 10 rows. I love the idea of not wasting a space- I’ve plotted out the new vegetables I wish to try my hand out, and then I added a few herbs into the garden as well, and I am amazed at the variety possible with such a small space. I’m not necessarily gardening for preserving this year. I’ll buy produce from the local stands and markets this year for that. I’m looking for walking out to the garden and pulling a slicing cucumber to eat for lunch. I want to pluck a few beans, an onion, and some cherry tomatoes and make a salad.
So the map has been made once, and will likely be revised a few times before it’s finished, the seed order has been filled out, it just needs to be sent, and all I can do is wait. Last year, I was able to plant my gardens in late April, and since this week we say goodbye to February, that’s just two months away. I still have so much more planning to do. There are tools to be purchased, new ideas to consider, and much discussion will take place between myself and my young assistant gardeners. For this will be their garden this year as well. Together we will work the soil and reap the benefits of that hard work as a team. My daughter sat down last night with one of the seed catalogs, and you’d have thought I gave her tickets to Disney. She squealed with delight and jumped up and down with every turn of the page.
Spring just can’t come soon enough.
PS: Here is a list of the seed catalogs I am wearing thin with my constant page-turning. My favorite is Baker Creek, but they all have a fantastic variety- and each one has it’s own style. I’ll be ordering mostly from Baker Creek, and one or two things from Burpee I think as well. These catalogs are all free by request- so request away on their sites!
Good for you, vegetable gardening is such a great outdoor activity with lots of benefits…keep us posted…with pictures!
Erika- I so agree with you about spring!! Maybe the weather is causing my current food funk. 🙁 Fortunately, despite the snow, the sky is bright blue and the sun is out today. Maybe it will help to wake me out of my winter blues. I always find the end of February/beginning of March to be the hardest – it just seems like there is no end in sight, but I have to force myself to remember spring IS right around the corner!!
You bet Noble Pig- once the garden gets rolling it will be a weekly feature.
Josie, there’s definitely some winter doldrums going on here right now. Spring always comes though, so thank goodness for that!
Which catalogs are the best? btw—Daylight Savings Time begins soon…sorta like almost Spring:)
Jep- I’ll add a list to the bottom of the post. (Forgot I was going to do that.) The only caveat is that this is my first time ordering from any of them- but I can say that I am hands-down enthralled with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Amazing stuff there.