Guys, I have been struggling through January and February. Anyone else? This year has seemed especially hard. Everyday has been a real effort to get out of bed and get moving. It has been cold. I’m pretty sure the dark days made me feel the same.
I own my own business. It is amazing most of the time. Yet, working outside has its disadvantages in the winter months. Pretty views, but frozen toes!
I have been longing for the days that I enjoyed sitting on my porch enjoying my morning coffee. Well, it finally arrived. I stepped outside and it was sunny with just enough warmth from the March sun to keep me comfortable. It was glorious. Spirits instantly elevated. Time to get digging in the dirt!
After taking Danny to play with his cousin, I got to work in the garden.
I checked my garlic and all the bulbs I planted are up and looking good. I planted radish, beets, cauliflower, and turnip. I planted peas with my nephews last week. I noticed some of the peas had pushed back up to the surface. I have a feeling they were not planted deep enough so I replanted them and will hope for the best. I also removed some of the debris. I should have cleaned it up last year. It looks like my black-eyed Susan’s are coming back. All looks good so far!
I have been planting inside since February. My early work has paid off. I have some nice-looking celery, beautiful tomato plants, and baby pepper. There are also leeks, lettuce, and tiny little herbs.
I am notorious for planting too early, but this year I am happy with my schedule. You should start your first wave of tomatoes in February and then again around the end of March, early April. Whenever I don’t do it this way, I regret it.
Now I have to talk about these tomatoes. They went outside to start acclimating to the outside world. I will do this for a few months. I will bring them inside and out. We will continue this until we are positive no more frosts are coming. My husband and brother helped transport these little babies. It takes more time than you would think. Now, this tomato thing may seem a bit overkill. Still, I did this a few years ago, and I had the BEST tomato yield ever! Speaking of tomatoes, I will be starting a second planting of my longer growing, heirloom tomatoes this week.
Things are looking good here. Next up is the community garden. That is where I will be doing a lot of my gardening just because of the size. We have two 26×26 ft plots and we want to maximize our yield. We are lucky to have no-till plots so our fences stay up all year and we can plant perennial. Blueberry bushes are on our list for the spring. Besides that, we don’t have a huge plan in place yet. That will come in the next few weeks.
I am putting together my shopping list tonight and will have a few new recipes to share. On the lineup is Easy Slow Cooker Pork, Roasted Chicken, Tortellini Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, Brinner and to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Boiled Dinner. If any of that sounds good head back here this week for the recipes.
How is your garden planning going? Anyone else feeling better now that the winter has seemed to lose its grip on the season?
