Snow is on the ground, but our first seeds are already in our garden (sugar snap peas), and we have four flats of starts in sunny spots indoors. Maybe not everyone keeps flats of starters in their upstairs bathroom, but it seems to be working well. Tucker goes in there regularly and points at them.
I'm excited for our garden. It has been two years since we really had a great garden, and I've missed it. Austin wants to plant corn for the first time. We're also trying to establish a berry patch. We even are thinking about reusing old windows that are in the basement to make a greenhouse and seriously extend our growing season. A couple years ago we had fresh greens through January, and that was just with a cold frame!
This year will be a bit rough, though, in terms of the garden's soil quality. Last year we choked the grass out with newspaper and cardboard and mulch to establish the permanent no-till beds. This year we'll plant right into those beds, which will at places entail planting through a layer of still-present newspaper. But it works really well at suppressing the weeds, and we will build up the beds with our compost, and if this garden is like our last one, by next year the soil will be looking pretty good. I love thinking that (God willing) we hope to be here 10 years from now... what will the soil be like then? More importantly, what will our fruit trees be like then?
So far Tucker likes the garden, too. When we're outside he goes down to it so he can swing the gate. (The only problem with this is that the dog takes advantage of the baby and goes into the garden when Tucker's manning the gate.)
