It's March and I'm Obsessing Over Garden Season

Tomorrow it's going to be 80 degrees outside. I can hardly believe it. The snow around my house is gone, the geese are back in residence at the thawing lake honking up a storm every night. Signs of spring are all around from buds on the trees to a few green blades of grass peeking up. Good bye Old Man Winter, you were no friend of mine this past season!

You might remember, the majority of my gardening consists of containers on my deck. It's easier for me to manage that way. No real weeding to worry about. No animals digging and rooting around in the garden. Super easy to manage any potential pests. Easy to plant and clear up at the end of the season too. 

Indigo Blue Berries- photo from Territorial Seeds

I'm already planning my tomato choices. Starting from seed this year I am growing Indigo Blue Berry tomatoes- darling dark blue cherry tomatoes; Chocolate Cherries- an heirloom brown cherry tomato; and Gold Nugget cherries- a yellow round cherry tomato. I'm sure I'll pick up a few transplants from the greenhouse too. Every year I say I won't But I can't help myself!

Chocolate Cherry tomatoes- photo from Territorial Seeds

I will have to make a decision about peppers this year too. I didn't get any hot pepper seeds started in time, so I will have to buy transplants. That means I may have to stick to the common peppers like habanero or jalapeno, or the less fearsome poblanos or hot bananas. I love all kinds of peppers so it doesn't matter what I end up planting. I'll find a great way to utilize it.

Gold Nugget tomatoes- photo from Territorial Seeds

I have also started a few pots of herbs this year. Usually I wait until I can direct-sow them but this year I decided to get a head start on some of the herbs I always run out of over the winter, and use a lot more of during the summer. I love herbs in tossed salads so I always use loads of basil, parsley and chives. We make a lot of Italian dishes and use a lot of basil all year long, both dried and fresh, and that's one tender herb I can't direct sow until it's really warm out. I figure this year I'll try starting some inside and see if I can jump start my crop.

Brazilian Starfish from Chileplants.com.
I've been seriously thinking about trying them.

Every spring I have a fierce internal debate about flowers. I love flowers, and I have a few perennials in the garden- several beautiful Asian lilies and hosta, but as far as other flowers go I generally don't plant very many. I love flowers though, and love having butterflies and hummingbirds and bees visit my garden but...... like my dad always said... you can't eat flowers. Later in the season when its hot and dry and I have to water those containers every day I find myself not wanting to water the flowers, but I feel guilty for letting a living plant die......

My patio furniture has taken a beating over the winter. New cushions are in order for one thing, and the outdoor kitchen needs to be completed. The deck has a shabby red finish, but some of the wood has held fast to the finish and never adopted the shabby look, so...... the whole thing will need to be restained so it looks the same. That's ok. I just can't wait til I can sit out there in the warm breeze, listening to the geese across the street in the lake. Birds chirping. Cats winding around my feet, meowing. The smell of fresh cut grass........

Hurry up Spring!!